The life of Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1340-1400), often labeled “the father of English poetry,” ought to be an open book: He is mentioned almost 500 times in contemporary records, far more than ...
"Chaucer: Ackroyd's Brief Lives." By Peter Ackroyd. Nan A. Talese-Doubleday. 188 Pages. $19.95. The great medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer could effortlessly shift from high tragedy to low ...