The Golden Ass, by Apuleius
Publication date: late 2nd century AD
Edition: 1978, translated by Robert Graves
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
# of pages: 293
Source: Amazon.com
Summary: From Goodreads: In all literature there are few books with the vitality of The Golden Ass. Boccaccio borrowed freely from it; and later it served both to amuse and instruct Cervantes, Fielding, and Smollett. T.E. Lawrence carried it, in its original Latin, in his sadlebags with him all through the Arab Revolt, and it was Lawrence who first introduced the book to his friend Robert Graves.
Mr. Graves has now freed the story from the archaic language with which it was encrusted, and at last the modern reader may, for the first time, appreciate for himself the lusty incident, curious adventure, and bawdy wit in which The Golden Ass abounds.
The story is about Lucius Apuleius, a young man of good birth, who, while disporting himself in the cities and along the roads of Thessaly, encountered many diverting and strange adventures. Not the least of these was that Apuleius offended a priestess of the White Goddess, and for his offense suffered the indignity of being turned into an ass. How Apuleius supported his misfortune and how he contrived at last to appease the Goddess and resume his human form make up the body of the tale.
Robert Graves has obviously enjoyed his labors on the story, for he writes: 'It is not strictly speaking the first modern novel, because Petronius' incomplete "Satyricon" antedates it by a century, but it is the most terrifying, and most sincere.'
To which the publishers can only add, in the words of both Robert Graves and Apuleius, 'Now read on and enjoy yourselves!'
My review: I feel I must first point out that this book is a classical piece of literature. It is the only novel written in Latin to survive in its entirety, so that makes it special. I tried to borrow this from my local library and then purchase it from my local bookstore. When both of these places failed me (they didn't have the book in stock at all), I went to Amazon and simply bought a used copy. I wasn't searching for a particular edition or translator. The book that arrived at my door was this edition translated by Robert Graves. I don't know much about reading different translations of the same book, but this version definitely read smoothly.
The story itself is quite enjoyable. The main character is the author himself, Lucius Apuleius, who finds himself turned into an ass when magic potions are mixed up and he drinks the wrong one. The plot that unfolds is a great adventure. Lucius is an animal and so the people around him don't pay him much attention. He finds himself being stolen, sold, bought, and running away all as an ass. When he is tied up, which he often is, he overhears the people around him telling stories. These stories make up the majority of the book. Some are mythological tales - Cupid and Psyche - but most are tales about the people who are his current owners.
The stories are either humorous or tragic, and many of them have sex as a center point. The stories are quite amusing and really have nothing to do with each other from one to the next. The way they are tied together is that, for example, Lucius is listening to the story while being tied up in the stables. When the story ends, he is brought somewhere else. He describes what happens to him for a few pages, how he gets from point A to point B, and then it goes into a another person telling another story.
Overall, the book is not complicated or difficult to read. I know many people can be intimated by books such as these because they feel they won't be able to understand what is going on. I feel that the translator, Robert Graves, did his best here to make the language as modern as possible. I can't say there was ever an instance where I had to go back and re-read paragraphs to try to understand what was being said. If you're looking for an amusing book to read, then this one is for you.
My rating: 4/5