The Brubury Tales (Illustrated Edition)

By Frank Mundo

A modern classic in rhyming verse -- gritty, moving, and unforgettable.

The Brubury Tales transforms Chaucer's Canterbury Tales into a powerful, contemporary epic set in post-riot Los Angeles. On a tense graveyard shift, seven security guards launch a high-stakes storytelling contest, each tale a bid for the ultimate prize: a full week of paid Christmas vacation. What follows is a fierce, funny, and deeply human battle of voices.

Written entirely in rhyming verse, these stories echo the spirit of Dickens, Dostoevsky, Boccaccio, O. Henry, Poe, Twain, Gilman, Crane, Saki, Anderson, Bierce, and even Khayyam's Rubaiyat. The result is a rare blend of classic literary craft and modern grit - a book that feels both timeless and urgently of this moment.

This illustrated edition features eleven original artworks by Keith Draws and a personal foreword by California literary icon Carolyn See, who calls The Brubury Tales "a landmark book in what is going to be, and already is, an exceptional, distinguished literary career."

Winner of multiple awards, including:

Poet Laureate Award nomination (UCLA & Cal)Vice Provost Award for Fiction (UCLA)Poetry Book of the Year (Reader Views)Most Innovative Book of Poetry (Bookhitch)

A Powerful Teaching Companion to Chaucer

Educators across the country use The Brubury Tales as a contemporary companion to The Canterbury Tales, helping students bridge medieval literature with the modern world. Its accessible language, vivid characters, and familiar Los Angeles setting make Chaucer's themes easier to grasp for today's readers. The book naturally sparks classroom discussions about:

Frame narratives and storytelling traditionsRhyme, meter, and poetic formSatire, voice, and social commentaryAdaptation across cultures, eras, and identitiesHow literature reflects and refracts its historical moment

Whether taught alongside Chaucer or on its own, The Brubury Tales opens the door to deeper engagement, comparative analysis, and meaningful conversations about community, justice, and the power of storytelling.

As Jonathan Hsy writes in The Chaucer Review, Mundo's work "challenges readers to question the very notion of racial transparency ... acknowledging the fraught conditions of 'brown' identity" in today's world. The Sacramento Book Review adds, "Mundo's skill is astounding ... soon enough the reading becomes listening."

Now available in paperback, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and audiobook, this is a story meant to be read, heard, and shared -- a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.

Perfect for:

Fans of verse novels and narrative poetryReaders who love modern retellings of classicsTeachers seeking an accessible companion to ChaucerStudents encountering medieval literature for the first time

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1496135571
• ISBN13: 9781496135575
• Release Date: March 2014
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"