{"product_id":"utopia-9781784787608","title":"Utopia","description":"\u003cb\u003eFive-hundred-year anniversary edition of More's \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e, with writing from major science fiction writers\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFive hundred years since its first publication, Thomas More's \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e remains astonishingly radical and provocative. More imagines an island nation where thousands live in peace and harmony, men and women are both educated, and property is communal. In a text hovering between fantasy, satire, blueprint and game, More explores the theories and realities behind war, political conflicts, social tensions and redistribution, and imagines the day-to-day lives of a citizenry living free from fear, oppression, violence and suffering. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But there has always been a shadow at the heart of \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e. If this is a depiction of the perfect state, why, as well as wonder, does it provoke a growing unease? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this quincentenary edition, published in conjunction with Somerset House, More's text is introduced by multi-award-winning author China Miéville and accompanied by four essays from Ursula K. Le Guin, today's most distinguished utopian writer and thinker..\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSir Thomas More\u003c\/b\u003e (1478-1535) was a counsellor to Henry VIII of England and a revered Renaissance humanist scholar. He was executed for refusing to acknowledge the king as head of the Church of England and was eventually canonized by the Catholic Church as a result. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eUrsula K. Le Guin\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of twenty-two novels, four collections of essays, seven books of poetry, twelve children's books and over a hundred short stories. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eChina Miéville\u003c\/b\u003e is the award-winning author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including the \u003ci\u003eThe City and The City\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThis Census-Taker\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Verso","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50629543231762,"sku":"9781784787608","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_348d24e4-bd92-4fc2-ba4e-5224393cf4d0.jpg?v=1758635437","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/utopia-9781784787608","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}