Utopia

This is the OG of utopias—written in 1516 about people living on a distant island. Later writers made up utopias set in the future, but More’s island is still fun to read about. A place where there is no private property, no one desires wealth, all citizens are equal, and all religions are tolerated—though there is no privacy (or premarital sex) either. Nobody knows whether More meant it as satire or longing, or even if we should translate u-topia as “no-place” or “good-place.”

Utopia was first published in Latin in London (UK) in 1516. This slim tome has stood the test of time—after 500 years, it is still in print. The book depicts a fictional idyllic island society and its religious, social, and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. Whether intended as a socio-political satire or not, the book weathered all storms, but More himself did not. He was at loggerheads with Henry VIII’s separation from the Catholic Church, and was executed for treason in London in 1535. The first English translation… show more.