James Tait Black Memorial Prizes
The Life of Thomas More
A major biography that reconstructs the life, intellect, and moral complexity of Thomas More.
Work Information
A major biography that reconstructs the life, intellect, and moral complexity of Thomas More.
A major biography that reconstructs the life, intellect, and moral complexity of Thomas More.
Book Information
- Publisher
- Nan A. Talese
- Published
- 1998-10-20
- Pages
- 464 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 14.61 x 4.45 x 23.5 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780385477093
- ISBN-10
- 0385477090
- Price
- 7659 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Religion & Spirituality/Christianity/Catholicism
Peter Ackroyd's The Life of Thomas More is a magnificent reconstruction of the life and imagination of one of the most remarkable figures of history. Thomas More was a renowned statesman, the author of a political fantasy that gave a name to a genre and a worldview (Utopia) , and, most famously, a Catholic martyr, who paid with his life when he refused to follow his sovereign, King Henry VIII, in severing England's ties with the Catholic Church. Born into the professional classes, Thomas More (1478-1535) rose by dint of formidable intellect and well-placed connections to become the most powerful man in England after the king. An exponent of what was called in his day "the mixed life," More combined medieval piety with worldly mastery of legal argument and the art of negotiation. Ackroyd dramatically shows how the clouds of Lutheran reformation that swarmed over the continent unleashed the storm of the early modern period that swept away More's world and took his life. He clarifies the whirl of dynastic, religious, and mercantile politics that brought the autocratic Henry VIII and the devout More into their fateful conflict. And he narrates the unrelenting drama of More's final days--his detention, trial, and execution--with a novelist's mastery of suspense. In Ackroyd's hands, this renowned "man for all seasons" emerges in the fullness of his complex humanity; we see the unexpected side of his character (a preference for bawdy humor) as well as his indisputable moral courage. Acclaimed for his magisterial biographies (T. S. Eliot, Dickens, Blake), Peter Ackroyd has once again scored a triumph.
Reviews
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This book almost transport you to the Days and times that Sir Thomas Moore lived. I found it to be most engaging gripping. I never lost interest in it.
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Muy bien informado y muy bien escrito. Además te hacerse entretenido da una visión muy completa no solo de la figura de Tomás Moro sino también de su contexto social y político.
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I’d been searching for a book on Thomas More for ages, and this was exactly what I hoped for. Richly detailed and thoughtfully written, it brings More’s intellect, faith, and complexity to life. The historical context is vivid, and the storytelling is compelling from start to finish. A must-read for anyone drawn to Tudor history or moral philosophy.
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Thomas More wird nicht als Heiliger dargestellt, sondern als äußerst komplexe Persönlichkeit vor dem Hintergrund seiner Zeit. Das Buch zeichnet ein genaues Bild des 15./16. Jahrhunderts und nur dadurch wird es möglich, sich der Person Thomas More anzunähern. Die Biografie sehr gut recherchiert, immer wieder wird Thomas More zitiert (auch an das "alte" Englisch kann man sich gewöhnen), aber es ist nicht trocken geschrieben, sondern die Faszination des Autors für diesen Ausnahmemenschen der englischen Geschichte überträgt sich von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite auf den Leser bzw. die Leserin. Thomas More war ein brillanter Jurist und höchster Staatsmann unter Heinrich VIII, aber es waren dies für ihn nur Rollen, die er spielte, weil es erforderlich war. Und selbst diese Rollen waren durchdrungen von seiner tiefen Religiosität, Integrität, Demut und seinem Humor. Er kämpfte gegen Luthers Lehre, weil diese die Einheit der christlichen Kirche bedrohte, die er als höchstes Gut ansah, und er starb, weil er nicht bereit war, sein Gewissen den Wünschen des Königs zu opfern.
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Thanks for a wonderful book, habe enjoying it enormously+danke für den Service Merry X-mas, best of luck, Ihr victor brill