Geoffrey Chaucer

Born in London in the 1340s, Geoffrey Chaucer lived a remarkably varied life as well as a literary one. He worked in royal service, traveled abroad, and held posts connected with the court and government, experiences that gave him a broad view of medieval society.

He is most famous for The Canterbury Tales, an ambitious collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims. The book’s memorable characters, earthy comedy, and keen attention to class, manners, and human weakness helped make it one of the great works of English literature.

Chaucer also wrote poems such as Troilus and Criseyde and played an important role in establishing English as a major literary language at a time when French and Latin still dominated much formal writing. After his death in 1400, he was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the area that later became known as Poets’ Corner.