Utopia

Subtitled "On the best state of a republic and on the new island of Utopia," this is the legendary 1516 political satire that, in its attempts to mock the English king Henry VIII, gave birth to an entire genre of imaginative fiction exploring the possibilities of the "perfect" society. Debate continues to rage among scholars of the Renaissance today whether More actually believed in the socialist, equalitarian concepts he espoused in *Utopia,* some of which seem unlikely positions for a wealthy, powerful man whose actions as a public figure were often at odds with them. But this remains a foundational work of Western thought and literature, and essential reading for anyone who wishes to be considered well read. English statesman and writer SIR THOMAS MORE (1478-1535) is best remembered as both a humanist scholar and a religious martyr: he was beheaded by King Henry VIII for refusing to acknowledge the monarch as the head of the Church of England.