The Golden Ass (eBook)

Apuleius (Autor)

Peter Singer (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: EPUB

2021
240 Seiten
Liveright (Verlag)
978-1-63149-780-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Think of Anna Sewells Black Beauty, throw in generous helpings of humor, sex, and magic, and you might get a rough idea of what The Golden Ass is like. Peter SingerPeter Singer and Ellen Finkelpearl breathe new life into Apuleiuss The Golden Assa hilarious, bawdy tale and one of the earliest novelsaccentuating its remarkable empathy for animals.Conceived at the zenith of the Roman Empire, Apuleiuss The Golden Assa bawdy, comic romp centered on a man-turned-animalis the only ancient work of fiction in Latin that survives in its entirety. In playful, evocative prose, the novel recounts the travails of Lucius, a young man whose insatiable fascination with the occult results in his accidental transformation into an ass.So entrapped, Lucius embarks on a hair-raising and at times outrageous adventure, encountering sadistic thieves who beat him mercilessly and plot to throw him over a cliff; a miller who works his human and animal slaves to death (until his wife, caught in an act of adultery, resorts to magic to bring him down); a noblewoman who fancies him; poverty-stricken merchants and a Roman soldier; and finally, the Egyptian goddess Isis.Peter Singer, the world-renowned philosopher and author of Animal Liberation, was initially drawn to The Golden Ass by virtue of its historically significant early portrayal of the life of an abused animal. He was soon stunned to discover that what is arguably the first surviving novel is now little known and even less read. Realizing that Apuleiuss tale in its original form is far too complex, Singer decided to streamline it. Assisted by Apuleius scholar Ellen Finkelpearlwho provides a fresh, modern translation, expertly mirroring the florid style of the originalSinger deftly prunes away the many digressions from the main narrative, and in so doing, uncovers the still-beating heart of the text: the highs and lows in the life of an ass, as seen and experienced by the irrepressible Lucius.Featuring delightful new illustrations drawn by the prize-winning artists Anna and Varvara Kendel, this newly-rendered edition brilliantly reintroduces a forgotten classic. Whether interested in tales of animals, magic, or life in Roman times, readers will be charmed by the hilarious and risqu misadventures of Luciusbefore, during, and after becoming a donkey.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.4.2021
• Illustrationen: Anna and Varvara Kendel
• Übersetzer: Ellen Finkelpearl
• Zusatzinfo: 20 black-and-white illustrations
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Anthologien
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Historische Romane
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Klassiker / Moderne Klassiker
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Vor- und Frühgeschichte
• Schlagworte: ancient myth • animal liberation • animal rights • Animal Studies • Cult • Cupid • donkey • Fable • folktale • Goddess • Isis • Kafka • Magic • magical realism • metamorphosis • Myth • Osiris • Ovid • picaresque • Psyche • Roman Mythology • Roman Novel • Rome • Saint Augustine • Vegan • veganism
• ISBN-10: 1-63149-780-4 / 1631497804
• ISBN-13: 978-1-63149-780-3 / 9781631497803