Utopia ~ Paperback ~ Thomas More

Five hundred years since its first publication, Thomas More's Utopia remains astonishingly radical and provocative. More imagines an island nation where thousands live in peace and harmony, men and women are both educated, and property is communal. In a text hovering between fantasy, satire, blueprint and game, More explores the theories and realities behind war, political conflicts, social tensions and redistribution, and imagines the day-to-day lives of a citizenry living free from fear, oppression, violence and suffering. But there has always been a shadow at the heart of Utopia. If this is a depiction of the perfect state, why, as well as wonder, does it provoke a growing unease? In this quincentenary edition, published in conjunction with Somerset House, More's text is introduced by multi-award-winning author China Mieville and accompanied by four essays from Ursula K. Le Guin, today's most distinguished utopian writer and thinker.Author BiographySir Thomas More (1478-1535) venerated by Catholics as Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, and noted Renaissance humanist. Ursula K. Le Guin is the author of twenty-two novels, four collections of essays, seven books of poetry, twelve children's books and over a hundred short stories. China Mieville is the author of numerous books, and winner of the World Fantasy Award, the Hugo Award and three Arthur C. Clarke Awards.