Meant to write a review on this book as soon as I finished it but procrastinated till I’ve largely forgotten what it is I wanted to say about the book. Although the subject matter seems a tad dry(history!), this book was anything but. The book comprised mainly of small chapters on various authors like Chaucer, Shakespeare, types of writing eg epics, tragedies, subjects eg utopian/dystopian worlds, etc, which made reading it both a breeze and thoroughly enjoyable.
I was fascinated by the history of the King James Bible. Prior to the 16th century, the Bible was only accessible by those learned in Latin and commoners had to rely on these translators for the “truth”. Then came Martin Luther who translated the Bible into “common language”, followed by William Tyndale who translated the Bible into English. He was later executed for being a heretic by going against King Henry VIII and Roman Catholicism. During the reign of Mary I, the Protestant bible of Tyndale was not favored and no more work was done till King James I authorized the translation of an official English Bible. Tyndale’s version formed the backbone of what we now know as the KJV Bible.
To be honest, although I own a KJV Bible, I hardly ever read it as I find the prose a little too overwhelming. Still, one of the nicest versions of the Lord’s Prayer is the KJV version.
Anyway when I was reading this chapter of the book, I was fascinated by the length people go to for their beliefs and their love of God. The Bible is so precious that someone was willing to die for it. Yet, many of us take the word for granted, never reading and valuing it.
This book is a highly recommended read for all and not just literature buffs.
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