This image is the cover for the book Golden Ass

Golden Ass

Translated from the Latin by the poet and author of I, Claudius, this ancient Roman novel follows the many adventures of a man who transforms into an ass.

Driven by his all-consuming curiosity, a young man of good parentage named Lucius Apuleius takes a trip to Thessaly. Along the way, amidst a series of bizarre adventures, he inadvertently offends a priestess of the White Goddess, who promptly turns him into an ass. How Lucius responds to his new misfortune, and ultimately finds a way to become human again, makes for a funny and fascinating tale.

The Metamorphosis of Apuleius, referred to by St. Augustine as The Golden Ass, is the oldest novel written in Latin to survive in its entirety. Originally written by Lucius of Patrae, this translation by Robert Graves highlights the ribald humor and vivid sense of adventure present in the original. Providing a rare window into the daily lives of regular people in ancient Greece, Robert Graves’s translation of this classic tale is at once hilarious, informative, and captivating.

Robert Graves

Robert Graves (1895–1985) was a British poet, novelist, and critic. He is best known for the historical novel I, Claudius and his critical study of myth and poetry in The White Goddess. His autobiography, Goodbye to All That, was originally published in 1929, quickly establishing itself as a modern classic. Graves also translated Apuleius, Lucan, and Suetonius, and compiled the first modern dictionary of Greek Mythology, The Greek Myths.

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