Product Description

Written towards the end of the second century AD, The Golden Ass tells the story of the many adventures of a young man whose fascination with witchcraft leads him to be transformed into a donkey. The bewitched Lucius passes from owner to owner – encountering a desperate gang of robbers and being forced to perform lewd ‘human’ tricks on stage – until the Goddess Isis finally breaks the spell and Lucius is initiated into her cult. Apuleius’ enchanting story has inspired generations of writers such as Boccaccio, Shakespeare, Cervantes and Keats with its dazzling combination of allegory, satire, bawdiness and sheer exuberance, and remains the most continuously and accessibly amusing book to have survived from Classical antiquity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205116 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Lucius Apuleius (2nd Century AD) North African fubulist, who Latinized the Greek myths and legends. He travelled widely, visiting Italy, Asia &c and was there initiated into numerous religious mysteries. The knowledge which he thus acquired of the priestly fraternities he drew on for his Golden Ass. E.J. Kenney is Emeritus Kennedy Professor of Latin in the University of Cambridge. His publications include a critical edition of Ovid's amatory works. He is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Customer Reviews

Funny and gripping
The whole book is very amusing - the highlight for me, however, was the story of Cupid and Psyche. This translation is always pacey and exciting - unexpectedly I found the book a real page-turner. I can really only recommend 'The Golden Ass' - you will read it very, very quickly because it is so entertaining. Lucius' character is excellently drawn too, and many readers will be able to sympathise with his constant curiosity, often leading to disaster!

Sublime
When Apuleius wrote 'Give me your ear, reader: you will enjoy yourself', I don't expect that he thought people would still be enjoying his book centuries later. The story that he gave us has inspired Shakespeare, Boccaccio and Cervantes, amongst countless others.

This story of a man becoming magically transformed into an ass by accident is full of comedy, from slapstick through to satire. Full of incidents with stories in the story, Apuleius takes us through bawdiness to thriller. We hear of sex, fron hetero to gay, to bestiality. We hear of crime from robbery and kidnap, to murder. What we are have is a book that revels exuberantly in life.

Kenney's excellent and lively translation gives to us a book that is like a just published novel. If you thought that books from antiquity were dry and boring you will have to think again after reading this. This book is a must have, and will be enjoyed by teenagers upwards.