Author of the Canterbury Tales (among other works), Geoffrey Chaucer is a pioneer of the English language from the late middle ages. He is eclipsed in his innovations perhaps only by William Shakespeare. Peter Ackroyd is a modern British historian and a worthy biographer of this giant. In this accessible series (read: short books), Ackroyd provides us with a great summary of what there is to know about Chaucer from historical records.

Chaucer was not only a fine poet; he was also and principally a diplomat in the king’s service. In that role, he travelled across the mainland of Europe, including Italy. In Italy, he came in contact with early humanist leaders of what became the Renaissance. Of course, they weren’t known as humanists at that time. They were just interesting writers to Chaucer, a fellow journeyer. He borrowed their methods into his writing and laid a foundation for future authors in the English language to build upon.

Aside from the peerless Canterbury Tales, Chaucer wrote poems of love in an era when true love was harder than today. Ackroyd focuses his attention on all of Chaucer’s work in an attempt to get to know the man from the influences of his time. As a diplomat, his life and his wife’s life were also recorded in English records. Ackroyd examines these as well in an attempt to get to know Chaucer outside of his bookish side (a side he reveled in). We learn of where Chaucer might have gotten inspirations for his ingenious writings. We also learn that Chaucer was probably not educated in the modern hierarchical sense, though his role in diplomacy would have certainly have required learning the ways of European court.

To Ackroyd and many before him, Chaucer is a great social contributor to English national life and one of the founders of the English language. Like the Norman conquerors, he brought the ways of the European mainland into mixture with those of the Anglo-Saxons. And like the great Bard, he brought the English language out of middle English into its modern forms. Through his writing, he taught English civilization about the ways of the church, the ways of women, and the ways of society. We are all richer because of Chaucer; I am likewise richer having read this book.

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This was the first in Ackroyd's series of "brief lives" (of eight, to date) - a 170-page summary of everything you really need to know about the subject, with plenty of nice pictures but no unnecessary detail. A nice idea - there aren't enough biographies of that kind around.

Chaucer isn't the first identifiable English poet, of course, nor does Ackroyd try to force the meaningless "Father of English poetry" label on us, but he is one of the first major English writers about whom we know enough outside their works to be able to write a biography that isn't just speculation. And that's not because he was an important poet, but because he came from a social class where things tend to get written down and had the sort of career (in his day-jobs) that leaves a paper-trail in official records.

Of course, what especially interests the London-obsessed Ackroyd about Chaucer is the way he was a London poet. And that his generation really marked the historical moment at which English literature became a specifically metropolitan activity, focussed on the court rather than the scriptoria of remote monasteries.

Chaucer was the son of a London wine-merchant with a court appointment, and as a boy became a page in the household of a prince, getting a court education in consequence, as well as establishing a contact network for his future career. When he grew up, he was employed by the court on various diplomatic missions, including several lengthy stays in Italy where he had the opportunity to get to know the works of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio (Ackroyd speculates that he might already have learnt Italian in childhood from the Genoese merchants who would have been the Chaucers' London neighbours). He then got a post collecting customs duties in the Port of London, which came with an official residence, and later in life seems to have moved out of the city to Kent, where he was a justice of the peace and served as an MP for a while.

Of course, there is still a lot about Chaucer's life that lends itself to speculation - his slightly odd marital circumstances, for instance - his wife Philippa was a lady-in-waiting in John of Gaunt's household, permanently on tour with the court, and never seems to have spent much time with him. Given that Philippa's sister was John's official mistress, there is even some speculation that Chaucer's son and daughter were actually royal bastards. There's also the mystery of the rape charge laid against Chaucer by Cecily Champain in 1380 and subsequently withdrawn - was Chaucer an early "me too" offender? Is he about to be struck out of the canon at any moment...? ( )

An excellent little biography and examination of the poet and storyteller. ( )

What makes a Peter Ackroyd biography almost guaranteed a five star rating?

I think that it is the fact that one knows that the author will have done as much research as is humanly possible upon his subject; not for Mr Ackroyd, a quick skim through a few easily accessible documents. Then, having soaked up every known fact about the person (or place!) about whom he is going to write, he sifts their accuracy with an almost computer like lack of personal slant. What appears on the page is as near to the true story as one is ever likely to read. Peter Ackroyd writes with such authority, that were he to say that I were dead, I should purchase a coffin immediately.

So, we can take it as read that this is a good biography of Geoffrey Chaucer, but as he died way back, in the mists of time; were the details available to give a rounded view of, not just Chaucer the poet, but also, Chaucer the man? Again, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!". This book is part of a series called, 'Brief Lives' and, whilst it is true that the book reaches only 163 pages, do not be fooled: it contains all that the average reader requires in a biography. Having read same, I feel that, were Geoffrey Chaucer to walk through my door, I would know as much about him as his mum.

I was vaguely aware that Chaucer was employed by the state machinery, but had no idea as to his importance to fourteenth century British statesmanship, or that in his day, he was known as a King's man who wrote a bit, rather than a great writer. He is, of course, most famous, nowadays, for writing 'the Canterbury Tales'. Time is given to an explanation as to why this work should be given credit and an insight into both Chaucer's thinking and the general view of the literary world, at the time that they were produced.

My ultimate test of any literary biography is; does it instil the urge to return to the subject's work? Suffice to say, that my Canterbury Tales looks a little more dog-eared now than it did! This book is both a pleasure and an education: thank you Mr. Ackroyd! ( )

I was prompted to read this book after a meandering read through The Stories of English by David Crystal. I was fascinated by Crystal's chapters on Chaucer particularly his use of dialect. I have always thought of Chaucer as a shadowy figure leaving behind only his magnificent poetry. In fact quite a bit is known about his life and he was not a reclusive poet. He had an active work life as a courtier for three successive kings and he traveled extensively throughout Europe. In this biography, Peter Ackroyd chronicles that life and it is a wonderful background for an understanding of Chaucer's work.
Part of Ackroyd's Brief Lives series, this book was deliberately written to be a short read to make it accessible. It is only 163 pages and does not require a major investment of time or study.
Highly recommended. ( )