Thomas More (1) (1478–1535)
Author of Utopia
For other authors named Thomas More, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: Portrait by Hans Holbein, 1527,
Frick Collection, New York
(Yorck Project)
Frick Collection, New York
(Yorck Project)
Works by Thomas More
The Utopia of Sir Thomas More Including Roper's Life of More and Letters of More and His Daughter Margaret (1947) 329 copies, 2 reviews
Der utopische Staat : Morus: Utopia + Campanella: Sonnenstaat + Bacon: Neu-Atlantis (1983) — Author — 47 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 1, English Poems, Life of Pico, The Last Things (1997) 22 copies
Conscience decides; letters and prayers from prison written by Sir Thomas More between April 1534 and July 1535 (1971) — Author — 19 copies, 1 review
A Book for All Seasons: Readings for Every Day of the Year from the Works of Thomas More (1978) 18 copies
The Tower Works: Devotional Writings (Yale Edition of the Complete Works of St.Thomas More) (1980) 15 copies
Delphi Collected Works of Sir Thomas More (Illustrated) (Delphi Series Nine Book 24) (2018) 13 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 5, Responsio ad Lutherum (1969) 12 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 11, The Answer to a Poisoned Book (1985) 10 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 15, In Defense of Humanism: Letters to Dorp, Oxford, Lee, and a Monk (1986) 9 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 7, Letter to Bugenhagen, Supplication of Souls, Letter Against Frith (1990) 8 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 3, Part II, Latin Poems (1984) 8 copies
The Yale Edition of the Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 8, Parts I-III, The Confutation of Tyndale`s Answer (1973) 8 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 10, The Debellation of Salem and Bizance (1988) 8 copies
Utopia and the History of Edward V 6 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 3, Part 1, Translations of Lucian (1974) 6 copies
The Yale Edition of The Complete Works of St. Thomas More: Volume 3, Part 1, Translations of Lucian (1974) 5 copies
The Supplication of Souls 3 copies
LA CITTA' DEL SOLE & UTOPIA 3 copies
Utopia - A Dialogue of Comfort 2 copies
Meditaties in de Tower : Over het zielelijden en de doodsangst van onze Heer in de hof Gethsemane 2 copies
The Four Last Things 2 copies
Four Early Modern Utopias: Utopia, New Atlantis, The Isle of Pines, The Blazing World (2020) 2 copies
Ein wahrhaft goldenes und ebenso heilsames wie erheiterndes Büchlein über den besten Staatszustand und über die neue Insel Utopia — Author — 2 copies
THOMAS MORE Premium Edition: Utopia, The History of King Richard III, Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation, De Tristitia Christi, Biography (2019) 2 copies
Lettera ad Antonio Bonvisi 1 copy
La agonia de Cristo 1 copy
Epistolario 1 copy
A UTOPIA 1 copy
A utopia 1 copy
Morus ad Craneveldium : litterae balduinianae novae = More to Cranevelt : new Baudouin letters (1997) 1 copy
Utopias del renacimiento 1 copy
Palabras de Animación 1 copy
Dialogue du réconfort 1 copy
Epigramas 1 copy
Sadness of Christ 1 copy
The Historie of the Pitifull Life, and unfortunate Death of Edward the fifth, and the then Duke of Yorke his brother 1 copy, 1 review
Utopia, Dialogue of Comfort 1 copy
Priere au Pere 1 copy
Life of Sir Thomas More 1 copy
Thomas Morus, Utopia 1 copy
Associated Works
World Poetry: An Anthology of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time (1998) — Contributor — 496 copies, 2 reviews
Three Early Modern Utopias: Thomas More: Utopia / Francis Bacon: New Atlantis / Henry Neville: The Isle of Pines (Oxford World's Classics) (1999) — Contributor — 365 copies, 2 reviews
The Divine Office, Volume 1: Daily Prayer for Advent, Christmastide and Weeks 1-9 (1974) — Contributor — 197 copies, 1 review
The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite (Volume II Lenten Season and Easter Season) (1974) — Contributor — 189 copies
English Renaissance Poetry: A Collection of Shorter Poems from Skelton to Jonson (1963) — Contributor — 184 copies
The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite (Volume III: The Weeks of the Year 6 - 34) (1974) — Contributor — 70 copies
Readings and Exercises in Latin Prose Composition: From Antiquity to the Renaissance (2005) — Contributor — 47 copies
Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (2012) — Contributor — 29 copies, 1 review
Oogst Der Tijden. keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 12 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- More, Thomas
- Other names
- Morus, Thomas
More, Saint Thomas
More, Sir Thomas - Birthdate
- 1478-02-07
- Date of death
- 1535-07-06
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Oxford
- Occupations
- statesman
lawyer
Master of Requests
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Treasurer of the Exchequer
Lord Chancellor (show all 7)
Speaker of the House of Commons - Awards and honors
- Canonized (1935)
- Relationships
- Roper, William (son-in-law)
Lily, William (friend) - Short biography
- Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to May 1532. He wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an imaginary island state.
More opposed the Protestant Reformation, directing polemics against the theology of Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin and William Tyndale. More also opposed Henry VIII's separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as supreme head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason and executed. On his execution, he was reported to have said: "I die the King's good servant, and God's first".
Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr. Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the patron saint of statesmen and politicians. The Soviet Union in the early twentieth century honoured him for the purportedly communist attitude toward property rights in Utopia. - Cause of death
- execution
- Nationality
- England
- Birthplace
- Milk Street, London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK - Place of death
- Tower Hill, Stepney, London, England, UK
- Burial location
- Royal Chapel of St. Peter Ad Vincula, Tower of London, London, England, UK (body)
Roper Vault of St Dunstan's Church, Canterbury, Kent, England, UK (head) - Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Is government "a conspiracy of the rich"? in Pro and Con (January 2022)
Bibliographie in Zwischen �t�p� und Wirklichkeit: Konstruierte Sprachen für die gl�b�l�s�rt� Welt (June 2012)
Reviews
THE UTOPIA OF SIR THOMAS MORE-INCLUDING ROPER'S LIFE OF MORE & LETTERS OF MORE & HIS DAUGHTER MARGARET by Thomas More
Campbell's edition of More's Utopia includes the original edited text of Utopia with extensive footnotes, a detailed introduction to the text, Roper's text on the Life of More, Erasmus' biographical letter about More (still a preferred biography of More, and a wonderful piece of writing in itself), and the letters More and his daughter Margaret exchanged while he was imprisoned prior to his execution in 1535.
Although Utopia was first published in 1516, it's still an astonishingly relevant show more read, and well worth the time. As both a critique of 16th Century England and a detailed study of an apparently ideal society, the text is so readable as to feel far more recent, and a fascinating journey in itself. While some of the material Campbell includes in this edition is fairly cumbersome, and clearly dated as far as the writing goes, Erasmus' letter about More, and More's own letters to his daughter, are both telling and transporting, well worth the extra time. What emerges from the text and collection as a whole is a careful critique of the ways of 'civilized' humanity and a visit with an intelligent and caring man who was also a clever citizen and a wonderful writer.
Absolutely recommended--and, while this edition may be more difficult to find than others, the included letters make it well worth the effort. show less
Although Utopia was first published in 1516, it's still an astonishingly relevant show more read, and well worth the time. As both a critique of 16th Century England and a detailed study of an apparently ideal society, the text is so readable as to feel far more recent, and a fascinating journey in itself. While some of the material Campbell includes in this edition is fairly cumbersome, and clearly dated as far as the writing goes, Erasmus' letter about More, and More's own letters to his daughter, are both telling and transporting, well worth the extra time. What emerges from the text and collection as a whole is a careful critique of the ways of 'civilized' humanity and a visit with an intelligent and caring man who was also a clever citizen and a wonderful writer.
Absolutely recommended--and, while this edition may be more difficult to find than others, the included letters make it well worth the effort. show less
Henry Tudor defeated and killed King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth Field and started the Tudor dynasty as Henry VII (father to Henry VIII). Thomas More's biography of King Richard was always going to be a malicious destructive critique of Richard's rise to power and it does not disappoint. His description of Richard has set the trend for many subsequent histories; according to More Richard was:
Little of stature, ill featured of limb, crook-backed, his left shoulder much higher than show more his right... he was malicious, wrathful, envious and ever forward... he was close and secret, deep dissimuler, lowly of countenance, arrogant of heart, outwardly companionable when inwardly hated, not letting to kiss when he meant to kill, ambitious disposition and cruel, slew with his own hands, he spared no man's death whose life withstood his purpose.
As a History More's book stands up fairly well, it is well written and aims to tell a tale of a Tyranny that comes to a just end. He has an eye for detail which is compelling and although he tends to put speeches into the mouths of some of his protagonists they do not seem too wide of the mark. More makes much of Richard breaking sanctuary in church to take the two young princes away from the Queen and there is a long digression on issues surrounding those who seek sanctuary, which must have been a hot topic at the time. There is a marvellous episode when Richard comes into a room which is full of conspirators and he comments admiringly on some strawberries grown by Lord Hastings and asks him for a mess of them, Richard leaves the room apparently satisfied but returns within the hour grim of face and with armed guards, they seize Hastings who is summarily executed. Beforehand there is the story of Hastings horse stumbling three times on his journey to the Tower and Lord Stanley dreaming about him, all portentous omens that signified his execution.
More claims that Richard ordered the smothering of the Princes in the tower and goes into detail of how it took place. He says that Richard never has peace of mind after the event, but the reader is left wondering how much irony there is attached to this story. There is no doubt that the History was written from a Tudor point of view, but it was probably not just propaganda. It was not published during More's lifetime and is not wildly out of synch with other contemporary histories of the time. Thomas More's English does take a little work, but with some modernisation of the letters the version that I read on the internet was quite readable and well worth the effort. show less
Little of stature, ill featured of limb, crook-backed, his left shoulder much higher than show more his right... he was malicious, wrathful, envious and ever forward... he was close and secret, deep dissimuler, lowly of countenance, arrogant of heart, outwardly companionable when inwardly hated, not letting to kiss when he meant to kill, ambitious disposition and cruel, slew with his own hands, he spared no man's death whose life withstood his purpose.
As a History More's book stands up fairly well, it is well written and aims to tell a tale of a Tyranny that comes to a just end. He has an eye for detail which is compelling and although he tends to put speeches into the mouths of some of his protagonists they do not seem too wide of the mark. More makes much of Richard breaking sanctuary in church to take the two young princes away from the Queen and there is a long digression on issues surrounding those who seek sanctuary, which must have been a hot topic at the time. There is a marvellous episode when Richard comes into a room which is full of conspirators and he comments admiringly on some strawberries grown by Lord Hastings and asks him for a mess of them, Richard leaves the room apparently satisfied but returns within the hour grim of face and with armed guards, they seize Hastings who is summarily executed. Beforehand there is the story of Hastings horse stumbling three times on his journey to the Tower and Lord Stanley dreaming about him, all portentous omens that signified his execution.
More claims that Richard ordered the smothering of the Princes in the tower and goes into detail of how it took place. He says that Richard never has peace of mind after the event, but the reader is left wondering how much irony there is attached to this story. There is no doubt that the History was written from a Tudor point of view, but it was probably not just propaganda. It was not published during More's lifetime and is not wildly out of synch with other contemporary histories of the time. Thomas More's English does take a little work, but with some modernisation of the letters the version that I read on the internet was quite readable and well worth the effort. show less
Que un libro siga estando vigente en sus planteamientos y propuestas después de quinientos años induce a reflexionar. O la utopía es algo irrealizable y por tanto seguirá siendo un ideal de futuro; o muchos hombres machacona y cabezonamente se empeñan en creer que es posible y luchan por ella.
La obra de Moro no es el primero, ni el último, de los intentos de diseñar o proponer un sistema social y político que mejore el existente. En la práctica, muchos grupos intentaron formar una show more sociedad que ellos creían deseable. Desde el plano teórico “La república” de Platón es el ejemplo más claro en la antigüedad. Cualquier sistema social propuesto revela una disconformidad con el existente y, como tal, el deseo del ser humano de mejorar en la organización de sus relaciones con los demás.
Tomás Moro interpela al hombre actual en multitud de temas que siguen siendo motivo de discusión: la pena de muerte, la eutanasia, los impuestos, el expansionismo territorial, el apoyo mutuo, la comunidad de bienes o colectivismo, la reducción de la jornada laboral, la asistencia sanitaria pública, el rechazo a la caza, la tolerancia religiosa, la oposición a la guerra, ...
Muchos de los sinónimos que se utilizan para la palabra utopía encajan mal con el trabajo del canciller inglés: quimera, fantasía, sueño, invención, … Otros, en cambio, sintonizan perfectamente con el autor: ilusión, ideal, anhelo,… Tomás Moro no es un ingenuo y así expresa “… que hay muchísimas cosas en la república de los utopienses que, a la verdad, en nuestras ciudades, más estaría yo en desear que en esperar.”(Libro Segundo pág. 174); pero al mismo tiempo, aunque sea en un futuro lejano, si cree en su realización. Como buen humanista cree en el hombre y en su capacidad de mejora. El mismo nombre de utopía significa que no está en ningún lugar pero no que no pueda estarlo. Esa terminación en -ia apunta esa posibilidad frente a utopo.
Por lo demás es fácil caer en la trampa del lenguaje: deseable, mejor, … Evidentemente esto encaja para quien propone el sistema pero no necesariamente para el resto. ¿Era deseable el estado de Platón?¿Es mejor la isla Utopía que la sociedad europea de la época? Para Moro y Platón puede pero… ¿y para los demás? Pues el camino que va de la utopía a la distopía es extremadamente corto y equívoco. “La mejor república” puede ser para muchos el peor de los estados. show less
La obra de Moro no es el primero, ni el último, de los intentos de diseñar o proponer un sistema social y político que mejore el existente. En la práctica, muchos grupos intentaron formar una show more sociedad que ellos creían deseable. Desde el plano teórico “La república” de Platón es el ejemplo más claro en la antigüedad. Cualquier sistema social propuesto revela una disconformidad con el existente y, como tal, el deseo del ser humano de mejorar en la organización de sus relaciones con los demás.
Tomás Moro interpela al hombre actual en multitud de temas que siguen siendo motivo de discusión: la pena de muerte, la eutanasia, los impuestos, el expansionismo territorial, el apoyo mutuo, la comunidad de bienes o colectivismo, la reducción de la jornada laboral, la asistencia sanitaria pública, el rechazo a la caza, la tolerancia religiosa, la oposición a la guerra, ...
Muchos de los sinónimos que se utilizan para la palabra utopía encajan mal con el trabajo del canciller inglés: quimera, fantasía, sueño, invención, … Otros, en cambio, sintonizan perfectamente con el autor: ilusión, ideal, anhelo,… Tomás Moro no es un ingenuo y así expresa “… que hay muchísimas cosas en la república de los utopienses que, a la verdad, en nuestras ciudades, más estaría yo en desear que en esperar.”(Libro Segundo pág. 174); pero al mismo tiempo, aunque sea en un futuro lejano, si cree en su realización. Como buen humanista cree en el hombre y en su capacidad de mejora. El mismo nombre de utopía significa que no está en ningún lugar pero no que no pueda estarlo. Esa terminación en -ia apunta esa posibilidad frente a utopo.
Por lo demás es fácil caer en la trampa del lenguaje: deseable, mejor, … Evidentemente esto encaja para quien propone el sistema pero no necesariamente para el resto. ¿Era deseable el estado de Platón?¿Es mejor la isla Utopía que la sociedad europea de la época? Para Moro y Platón puede pero… ¿y para los demás? Pues el camino que va de la utopía a la distopía es extremadamente corto y equívoco. “La mejor república” puede ser para muchos el peor de los estados. show less
Wat een heerlijk boek, dit product van een van de briljantste geesten van zijn tijd! Het denk- en schrijfplezier spat van de bladzijden, en het leesplezier was navenant.
Hoewel ik geen expert ben in vertalingen, schrijf ik de friste van dit 500 jaar oude boek toch graag toe aan de prachtvertaling van Paul Silverentand. More's humor, ironie, sarcasme en verontwaardiging komen helemaal tot hun recht.
Hoewel ik geen expert ben in vertalingen, schrijf ik de friste van dit 500 jaar oude boek toch graag toe aan de prachtvertaling van Paul Silverentand. More's humor, ironie, sarcasme en verontwaardiging komen helemaal tot hun recht.
Lists
Epic Fiction (1)
Best Dystopias (1)
Ambleside Year 8 (1)
Folio Society (1)
100 (1)
Unread books (1)
Leseliste (1)
Best Satire (2)
Out of Copyright (1)
Lectuurlijst (1)
Read These Too (1)
Reading LIst (1)
Ambleside Books (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 173
- Also by
- 25
- Members
- 17,261
- Popularity
- #1,284
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 172
- ISBNs
- 738
- Languages
- 29
- Favorited
- 2
