Utopia (Burnet translation)

Written by Thomas More

Narrated by LibriVox Community

This book is all about the fictional country called Utopia. It is a country with an ‘ideal’ form of communism, in which everything really does belong to everybody, everyone does the work they want to, and everyone is alright with that. This country uses gold for chamber pots and prison chains, pearls and diamonds for children’s playthings, and requires that a man and a woman see each other exactly as they are, naked, before getting married. This book gave the word 'utopia' the meaning of a perfect society, while the Greek word actually means ‘no place’. Enjoy listening to this story about a country that really is too good to be true. (Summary by Jenilee.)

This is the 17th century translation by Gilbert Burnet, edited in the 19th century by Henry Morley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

Thomas More

Thomas More (1478-1535) was an English lawyer, judge, philosopher, statesman, and humanist. Born in London, he was the second of six children born to Sir John More and his wife Agnes. From 1490 to 1492, he served as household page for Archbishop of Canterbury John Morton, who introduced him to Renaissance humanism and nominated him for a spot at the University of Oxford. After two years of learning Latin and Greek, he left to study law and was called to the Bar in 1502. Two years later, he was elected to Parliament, launching his political career in earnest. In 1516, while serving as Privy Counsellor, More published Utopia, a work of political philosophy and social satire that describes the customs of a fictional island nation. After a series of prominent posts in the court of King Henry VIII, More succeeded Thomas Wolsey as Lord Chancellor in 1529, making him one of the most powerful men in England. His three-year reign was mired in controversy, as he worked to impede the influence of the Protestant Reformation through the persecution of heretics and the suppression of Lutheran books, especially the Tyndale Bible. In 1530, he refused to sign a letter to Pope Clement VII that sought to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon, damaging his relationship with the King and distancing himself from clergymen loyal to the crown. After resigning in 1532, he further enraged the King by refusing to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn, leading to a series of charges orchestrated by Thomas Cromwell. His refusal to take the Oath of Supremacy, which recognized the King as the figurehead of a new Church of England, would culminate in his being found guilty of high treason in 1535. Five days after his trial by jury, More was beheaded at Tower Hill. Recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church, he was canonized as a saint in 1935 by Pope Pius XI.