The Golden Ass
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
From the sunbaked roads of ancient Rome to the mystical temples of Isis, The Golden Ass — the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety — chronicles the misadventures of Lucius, a young man whose insatiable curiosity about magic leads to his accidental transformation into a donkey. Written by the North African author Apuleius in the 2nd century AD, this riotous and picaresque tale carries its hapless hero through a world populated by witches, bandits, licentious widows, and scheming slaves, all while embedding within it the immortal myth of Cupid and Psyche. Earthy, irreverent, and surprisingly tender, the narrative balances bawdy comedy with genuine spiritual longing, culminating in a profound religious awakening that redeems its wandering protagonist. Robert Graves's celebrated translation captures the full swagger and wit of Apuleius's original Latin, rendering its colloquial energy into prose that crackles with mischief and humanity. As both a satirical portrait of Greco-Roman society and a deeply personal allegory of the soul's journey toward divine grace, The Golden Ass stands as a foundational text of Western literature — one that anticipates the novel form by over a millennium. Whether encountered as comic masterpiece, spiritual parable, or anthropological document of ancient life, it remains an utterly irresistible work that rewards every reader who dares to follow a donkey down its dusty, winding road.
Author: Apuleius
Format: Paperback
Genre: Classic fiction
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
From the sunbaked roads of ancient Rome to the mystical temples of Isis, The Golden Ass — the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety — chronicles the misadventures of Lucius, a young man whose insatiable curiosity about magic leads to his accidental transformation into a donkey. Written by the North African author Apuleius in the 2nd century AD, this riotous and picaresque tale carries its hapless hero through a world populated by witches, bandits, licentious widows, and scheming slaves, all while embedding within it the immortal myth of Cupid and Psyche. Earthy, irreverent, and surprisingly tender, the narrative balances bawdy comedy with genuine spiritual longing, culminating in a profound religious awakening that redeems its wandering protagonist. Robert Graves's celebrated translation captures the full swagger and wit of Apuleius's original Latin, rendering its colloquial energy into prose that crackles with mischief and humanity. As both a satirical portrait of Greco-Roman society and a deeply personal allegory of the soul's journey toward divine grace, The Golden Ass stands as a foundational text of Western literature — one that anticipates the novel form by over a millennium. Whether encountered as comic masterpiece, spiritual parable, or anthropological document of ancient life, it remains an utterly irresistible work that rewards every reader who dares to follow a donkey down its dusty, winding road.