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Ovid’s Metamorphoses

A New Translation
By Ovid and C. Luke Soucy
Series: World Literature in Translation
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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
Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a bold and lyrical translation that revives the classical myths as politically charged tales of transformation. Translator C. Luke Soucy restores the vitality of Rome’s most creative poet, highlighting themes of sexuality, violence, and power often downplayed in earlier versions. This edition offers fresh insights into a world where heroes are unmade, victims find voice, and the earth is revered above heaven, enriched with scholarly notes, illustrations, and a glossary.
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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?

This translation is ideal for students, scholars, and readers interested in classical mythology, ancient literature, and contemporary interpretations of power, gender, and identity. It suits those seeking a nuanced and dynamic edition that balances faithful scholarship with a fresh, accessible voice.

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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

This fresh translation revives the politics and power at play in classical mythology’s foremost source

Centuries of conservative translators have robbed the Metamorphoses of its subversive force. In this boldly lyrical translation, C. Luke Soucy revives the magnum opus of Rome’s most clever and creative poet, faithfully matching the epic’s wit and style while confronting the sexuality, violence, and politics so many previous translations have glossed over.

Soucy’s powerful version breathes new life into Ovid's mythic world, where canonical power dynamics are challenged from below to drain heroes of their heroism, give victims their say, and reveal an earth holier than heaven. Incorporating the latest scholarship alongside annotations, illustrations, and glossary, this edition brings fresh insights to both returning and new readers.

Series: World Literature in Translation

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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?

Praised for its poetic strength and scholarly depth, Soucy’s translation has been lauded as more poetic than current versions and sensitive to contemporary issues of sexual and identity politics. Critics appreciate its clear-eyed treatment of challenging themes without anachronistic filtering, delivering a vivid and modern engagement with Ovid’s text for both new and returning readers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520394858

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 November 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 11 illustrations, 1 map

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 36.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 544g

Pages: 680

Collections

Arts & Culture C. Luke Soucy Classic Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Non-Fiction Ovid Series: World Literature in Translation

About the Author

C. Luke Soucy is a translator, poet, and vocal Minnesota native. In addition to literary translation, he has worked in regional theatre, in a chromatography lab, and as a university bureaucrat. Soucy is a 2019 graduate of Princeton University, where he received the E. E. Cummings Society Prize of the Academy of American Poets.

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