Why Famous:Best known today for "The Canterbury Tales", Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the Father of English literature.
Chaucer's work helped legitimize English as a literary language and supplant literary works in Latin and French where were popular in England at the time.
His other significant works include "The Book of the Duchess", "The House of Fame", "The Legend of Good Women" and "Troilus and Criseyde".
Born in London around 1343, the exact date and location of his birth remain unknown.
Historical Events in the Life of Geoffrey Chaucer
1387-04-17 Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" characters begin their pilgrimage to Canterbury (according to scholars)
1397-04-17 Geoffrey Chaucer tells the "Canterbury Tales" for the first time at the court of English King Richard II
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Stieg Larsson
Sylvia Plath
Boris Pasternak
Langston Hughes
Rudyard Kipling