Utopia and Dialogue of Comfort (Everyman's Library, No. 461)

xxxvii, 359, 15 pp. Introduction by Judge John O'Hagan. ABOUT UTOPIA: Utopia (Latin: Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia,[1] "A little, true book, not less beneficial than enjoyable, about how things should be in a state and about the new island Utopia") is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535), written in Latin and published in 1516. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social, and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries.[2]--Wikipedia. ABOUT DIALOGUE OF COMFORT: A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation is a work that was written by St. Thomas More while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534. Thomas More was imprisoned by King Henry VIII for refusing to swear to the Act of Succession (1534). He had been given writing materials in the early months of his imprisonment.[1] The Dialogue is set in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1528, between the invasions of Suleiman the Magnificent. It is a fictional dialogue between Vincent and his uncle, Anthony. The book begins with Vincent paying a visit to his uncle. He is terrified by the invasions of the Ottomans and seeks comfort from Anthony. Anthony tells him that comfort can only come from God. The Dialogue is a reflection on worldly power, the transience of pleasure, and the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. While it is a spiritual reflection, the treatment of themes of worldly power by a major political figure and humanist also characterizes it as a work of political thought.--Wikipedia