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Metamorphoses

A New Translation
By Ovid
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Metamorphoses by Ovid is an epic poem centred on the theme of change, weaving myths and tales that have inspired Western culture from Dante's era to contemporary writers like Salman Rushdie and Italo Calvino. This translation by Charles Martin stays true to Ovid's original text while capturing its vivacity and pace. The volume includes helpful endnotes and a glossary to enrich understanding of the people, places, and mythological figures encountered.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3399
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in classical mythology, poetry, and timeless tales of transformation, as well as scholars and general readers seeking a modern yet faithful English translation of a cornerstone of Western literature.

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"A version that has been long awaited, and likely to become the new standard." —Michael Dirda, Washington Post

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Ovid's Metamorphoses, an epic poem whose theme of change has resonated throughout the ages, is one of the most important texts of Western imagination. It has been an inspiration from Dante's times to the present day, with writers such as Salman Rushdie and Italo Calvino finding a living source in Ovid's work.

Charles Martin combines a close fidelity to Ovid's text with verse that captures the speed and liveliness of the original. Martin's Metamorphoses will be the translation of choice for contemporary readers in English.

This volume also includes endnotes and a glossary of people, places, and personifications.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise Charles Martin's translation as elegant, lively, and expansive. Richard Wilbur calls it "all that one could wish," while Robert Fagles highlights its wit and epic scope. William Jay Smith admires the skillful handling of movement and metaphor, describing the experience as exhilarating and worthy of repeated reading.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780393326420

Publisher: WW Norton & Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 January 2005

Country: United States

Imprint: WW Norton & Co

Contributors:

  • Translated by Charles Martin
  • Introduction by Bernard M. W. Knox

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 211.0mm

Weight: 461g

Pages: 624

Collections

Arts & Culture Non-Fiction Ovid Poetry

About the Author

Charles Martin was born in New York City in 1942. He earned a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. The recipient of numerous awards, Martin has received the Bess Hokin Prize, the Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ingram Merrill Foundation. Three of his poetry collections—Steal the Bacon (1987), What the Darkness Proposes (1996), and Starting from Sleep: New and Selected Poems (2002)—have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. His translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses won the 2004 Harold Morton Landon Translation Award from the Academy of American Poets.

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