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Allen Mandelbaum
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The Metamorphoses Of Ovid Paperback – April 15, 1995

by Ovid (Author), Allen Mandelbaum (Translator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 216 ratings
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Through National Book Award-winning translator Allen Mandelbaum's poetic artistry, this gloriously entertaining achievement of literature — classical myths filtered through the worldly and far from reverent sensibility of the Roman poet Ovid — is revealed anew.Savage and sophisticated, mischievious and majestic, witty and wicked, The Metamorphoses weaves together every major mythological story to display a dazzling array of miraculous changes, from the time chaos is transformed into order at the moment of creation, to the time when the soul of Julius Caeser is turned into a star and set in the heavens. In its earthiness, its psychological acuity, this classic work continues to speak over the centuries to our time. "Reading Mandelbaum's extraordinary translation, one imagines Ovid in his darkest moods with the heart of Baudelaire...Brilliant."—Booklist
Previous page
  1. Print length
    576 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mariner Books
  4. Publication date
    April 15, 1995
  5. Reading age
    14 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.31 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780156001267
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0156001267
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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Publius Ovidius Naso, whom we know as Ovid, was already established as a writer when The Metamorphoses was published in A.D. 8, when he was 52 years old. It had taken him a decade to compose his great poem, during which time he published little, but the Roman world was still abuzz with excitement over his richly erotic Art of Love. So, unfortunately, was the court of Augustus Caesar, and the emperor banished the poet to what is now Romania. Augustus may have taken exception to the poet's turn to the impolite realm of the body--or he may have objected to a rumored affair between Ovid and the emperor's nymphomaniacal daughter Julia, who figures so prominently in Robert Graves' Claudius novels. The poet who had declared Rome to be his only home could have found no worse punishment than exile, but no amount of pleading could sway Augustus, and Ovid died on the shores of the Black Sea a decade later. Full of veiled political and historical references, The Metamorphoses lived on to become a permanent fixture in the canon of European literature. In Allen Mandelbaum's hands, it lives on for a new generation.

From Publishers Weekly

Translator and poet Mandelbaum offers his rendition of Ovid's classic work of mythology and change.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0156001268
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books; First Edition (April 15, 1995)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780156001267
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0156001267
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.48 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.31 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 216 ratings

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  1. Allen Mandelbaum

    Allen Mandelbaum

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  2. Ovid

    Ovid

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    Publius Ovidius Naso (Classical Latin: [ˈpʊb.li.ʊs ɔˈwɪ.di.ʊs ˈnaː.soː]; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known as Ovid (/ˈɒvɪd/) in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. The Imperial scholar Quintilian considered him the last of the Latin love elegists. He enjoyed enormous popularity, but, in one of the mysteries of literary history, he was sent by Augustus into exile in a remote province on the Black Sea, where he remained until his death. Ovid himself attributes his exile to carmen et error, "a poem and a mistake", but his discretion in discussing the causes has resulted in much speculation among scholars.

    The first major Roman poet to begin his career during the reign of Augustus, Ovid is today best known for the Metamorphoses, a 15-book continuous mythological narrative written in the meter of epic, and for collections of love poetry in elegiac couplets, especially the Amores ("Love Affairs") and Ars Amatoria ("The Art of Love"). His poetry was much imitated during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and greatly influenced Western art and literature. The Metamorphoses remains one of the most important sources of classical mythology.

    Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Ettore Ferrari [CC BY-SA 3.0 ro (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ro/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
216 global ratings
As pictured. New condition.
5 Stars
As pictured. New condition.
Very good book to have in your collection with classic myths of ovid. Translation is well done. The paperback book came in near perfect condition.
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Top reviews from the United States

Anika
5.0 out of 5 stars As pictured. New condition.
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
Very good book to have in your collection with classic myths of ovid. Translation is well done. The paperback book came in near perfect condition.
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Anika
5.0 out of 5 stars As pictured. New condition.
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024
Very good book to have in your collection with classic myths of ovid. Translation is well done. The paperback book came in near perfect condition.
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Jillian Astra England
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent binding. Readable poetry.
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
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The mythos is just incredible to read in an turn of the millennia collection of temple myth. What did they think? What was their myth? This gets us closer to that world that was before christianity.
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Alex Lapuente
5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous Edition
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2020
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This is a truly beautiful edition of the classic, and for a very affordable price. The binding (complete with a silky bookmark) is subtle and elegant. The text prefaces each book with a list of the myths included, along with the corresponding lines in the Latin poem listed at the bottom of every page for easy cross-referencing. The typeset, Bembo, was apparently taken from a 15th century Venetian typist; while this is peripheral to the enjoyment of the text itself, it is a wonderful detail. I can't personally vouch for the quality of Mandelbaum's translation as I haven't read other editions, but his reputation and accolades speak for themselves. The only negative (and it is a *slight* negative) is that the sleeve arrived slightly creased from delivery, but that's to be expected.
6 people found this helpful
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Scrambler
4.0 out of 5 stars Ovid in poetic form
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2013
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I am very pleased with this translation of Ovid's "Metamorphoses." Although I cannot compare it with the original Latin, the language reads smoothly and pleasantly. I have been pairing reading it with another version available in Kindle format (Martin translation, Norton edition) and with a prose version. This is my favorite of the three, although I sometimes find it easier to read the prose version of a particular tale first. I like the listing on the cover page of each book of the tales contained within that section -- and the use of lines to separate lines of the text in accordance with the beginnings and endings of those myths.

My copy came from an external supplier and was in like-new condition, albeit perhaps with the paper a little yellowed.

I am accompanying reading this with Hamilton's "Mythology" and some of the writings of Joseph Campbell and Roberto Calasso. Myths are so integral to literature that there is a special pleasure in spending some time with them from time to time. It is always surprising to discover the nuances and the contexts within which they have been captured, rather like a winged bee or dragonfly in amber. Ovid's versions stress metamorphoses and shape-changing, rather than static symbols. His light, playful, sometimes cynical touch makes him generally a delight to read, although one can still get bogged down in names and relationships, as well as transitions from one story to another.
2 people found this helpful
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Luis J. Martinez
5.0 out of 5 stars The myth is beautiful. There must have been hundreds of characters
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2017
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I've attempted one other translation of Metamorphoses, but I came right back to Mendelbaum's. There was something missing in the very first pages of the other one, but this version carries you, as Ovid would have appreciated, seamlessly through this highly political Roman appropriation of Greek myth and history.

The myth is beautiful. There must have been hundreds of characters, god and mortal alike, forced into crises and transformed in moments of untenable lust, rage, or just plain foolishness. I particularly enjoyed the huntress stories, and it was very cool to read Pyrahmus and Thisbe, the myth that inspired Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The political elements of this, however, are tedious. Apotheosizing Caesar feels like that moment in a movie when the lead actor breaks out a can of Pepsi. I imagine this was both a patriotic and practical gesture for one of his patrons, even though the guy would return the favor later by exiling him. If I could go back in time, I'd ask him to replace the political chapters with one called "Nice Guys Finish on an Island."
5 people found this helpful
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Nathan P. Gilmour
5.0 out of 5 stars Your next "ought to read that" read
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2005
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Ovid is something that people interested in Shakespeare and mythology and Western culture in general ought to read, and Mandelbaum's translation will make you glad while you read it.

Ovid's poem begins with a creation out of chaos and into the golden age, traces the famous careers of Orpheus, Hercules, and Achilles, and culminates with the ascension of Augustus Caesar. Along the way, his tales of young lust, treachery, and enough shape-changes to keep George Lucas in business for decades will pull you into a world in which men contend with gods (and usually, but not always, lose), true love can forestall even death (or make death kidnap a goddess's daughter), and Morpheus is not a gun-toting cyber-revolutionary but a servant of Sleep and a master of imitation.

Mandelbaum's translation balances beauty of language and flow of story to make this classic compilation of Roman myths a page-turner. A beginner might want to acquire an edition with footnotes, but a reader with sufficient background or the resources to research references would do well to acquire this translation of this wonderful text.
19 people found this helpful
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C1
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful rendition of Ovid's poetic art
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2019
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What a lovely rendition to one of the most beautiful classic latin books! The verse translations flow seamlessly from one myth to another, peppered with clever rhymes. I quickly read through a third of the book, often late at night, and found it hard to put the book down. It offers a fun path toward learning Greek/Roman myths through poetic art. I also bought the paperback edition so I can alternate between two media. The kindle version is great with better section headings and dictionaries, which I used often, since the already thick book doesn't have a separate footnote section.
10 people found this helpful
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A. Corral
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2017
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I have wanted to read Metamorphoses for a long time and glad I finally did it. This was a great translation, it was easy to read and follow. This book is the foundation to so much classical literature, my eyes have been opened. Now I feel like I need to reread everything I've read to truly understand all the Ovid references. If you're I to mythology or want a solid intro to myth, then read this book.
10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Booksy Londoner
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 4, 2019
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I tried three other translations before I discovered this one and didn’t finish any of them. This one, however, was absolutely marvellous. I cherished reading it and imagine I will return often.
3 people found this helpful
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Souffee
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translation but slightly Americanised but my nit-picking.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2021
Verified Purchase
Obviously for a primarily USA audience, for instance ‘scumbled’ rather than ‘scrambled’ for mixed up. Did Ovid describing the sea before god tamed it as not being able to be ‘swum’ in rather than sailed on? It’s my understanding ancients didn’t go in for swimming, especially in the sea. Anyway, that’s all me splitting hairs as it’s a fine clear rendering. I would recommend it to anyone and at the price an essential and there are plenty of other versions and commentaries should a reader wish to delve deeper.
One person found this helpful
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Thomas B.
4.0 out of 5 stars High end literature and low end printing.
Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2019
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The writing is fantastic, a translation mindful of prosaic flow and cadence as befits such a work. The book itself though is mass market quality. Note that this review is for the paperback edition.
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Florence
4.0 out of 5 stars Ovid's naked text
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2017
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This is a complete text in Latin. No comments, no various readings. A print-on-command edition from Poland.
As most editions on Amazon turned out to be translations, not the original, any reliable edition of the very text is welcome. Ovid is a wonderful read, and if you ever learnt Latin you want the text in original.
3 people found this helpful
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