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Book Cover for: The Golden Ass (Warbler Classics Illustrated Edition), Lucius Apuleius

The Golden Ass (Warbler Classics Illustrated Edition)

Lucius Apuleius

The Golden Ass, originally titled The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to have survived in full. This bawdy, frolicsome, and richly imaginative tale follows the curious Lucius, a young man from Madaurus (also the hometown of the author, Apuleius), whose fascination with magic leads him into trouble. Attempting to transform into a bird through a spell, Lucius is instead turned into an ass, setting off a long and eventful journey-both literal and metaphorical. Along the way, Lucius encounters a series of humorous, tragic, and magical tales, woven into the novel's narrative fabric. Ultimately, it is the intervention of the goddess Isis that restores him to his human form, and he becomes a devoted member of her cult. This timeless work offers readers a glimpse into the ancient world through a mix of farce, philosophy, and mysticism, making it a timeless favorite for two thousand years. Jack Lindsay's version is the first English translation to include risqué passages that were previously either omitted or rendered in Latin. This Warbler Classics edition features sixteen exquisite images by Jean de Bosschère, which first appeared in a limited edition of The Golden Ass in 1923.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Warbler Classics
  • Publish Date: Oct 8th, 2024
  • Pages: 244
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.50in - 5.50in - 0.55in - 0.63lb
  • EAN: 9781965684085
  • Categories: ClassicsSatire

About the Author

Apuleius, Lucius: - Lucius Apuleius (c. 124-after 170 C.E.) was a Numidian Latin-language prose writer, Platonist philosopher, and rhetorician. The most famous incident in his life was when he successfully defended himself after being accused of using magic to gain the attentions (and fortune) of a wealthy widow. His most famous work is his picaresque novel The Golden Ass.
Lindsay, Jack: - Jack Lindsay (1900-1990) was an Australian-born writer, who from 1926 lived in the United Kingdom. During World War I Lindsay served in the British Army. After World War II, he suffered defamation and suppression because of his membership in the Communist Party of Great Britain. Nonetheless, he published thirty-eight novels and twenty-five volumes of translations (from Latin, Greek, Russian, and Polish), as well as art, literary, classical, historical and political studies, biographies, and autobiographies.
de Bosschère, Jean: - Jean de Bosschère (1878-1953) was a Belgian writer and painter. Among the books he illustrated were the poems of Oscar Wilde and Charles Baudelaire. He also illustrated erotic classics by Aristophanes, Ovid, Strato, and Apuleius.