The Golden Ass: Apuleius

Lucio Apuleyo

Jun. 2024 · Lebooks Editora

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This is probably the oldest complete text you will have the opportunity to read. "The Golden Ass" is the only novel that has survived intact from the time of the Roman Empire. It was written by Lucius Apuleius in the 2nd century AD and tells the adventures and troubles faced by the protagonist, also named Lucius, who at a certain point in the story is transformed into a donkey and experiences extraordinary situations, including some of a sexual nature. As is common in many ancient texts, the main story is interrupted to include several short tales, the most famous of which is "Cupid and Psyche." "The Golden Ass" has been a source of inspiration for numerous classic writers such as Boccaccio, Cervantes, and Shakespeare, and is part of the renowned collection "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die."

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Lucius A. Apuleius, or Lucio Apuleio, was a Roman writer and Middle Platonic philosopher. Apuleius was born in Madaura, a small but important Roman colony. His family, originating from Italy, was wealthy and influential: his father had been a consul, the highest municipal magistracy in ancient Rome, and left his two sons a substantial inheritance of nearly two million sesterces. After his early studies in grammar and rhetoric, he moved to Carthage, where he deepened his knowledge of poetry, geometry, music, and especially philosophy, which he later completed in Athens. He was also interested in esoteric rites: in Carthage, in the mysteries of Aesculapius, the Roman equivalent of Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine and healing, and in Athens, in the Eleusinian mysteries. He married a wealthy widow, Aemilia Pudentilla, and was accused by his wife's relatives of using magic to win her love. He defended himself through a famous Apologia, which has survived to this day. His most famous work is "Metamorphoseon Libri XI," better known as "The Golden Ass." Apuleius also wrote "Florida" and "De Deo Socratis."