The Metamorphoses Of Ovid by Ovid (PDF)

Description

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

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐This modern English version of The Metamorphoses is very enjoyable. Perfect or someone like me who is not a scholar of antiquity and interested in learning the myths of the ancient gods and goddesses as representations of changing nature with very human foibles. My only criticism of the Everyman edition is that it lacks an index and glossary. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book as a fun read.

⭐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.”

⭐This is not, of course, a novel. it is a collection of short stories. Therefore, there is no plot. Many of the stories are well known either through TV or cinema and many are not. However, if you like Greek and Roman mythology, you will very much enjoy this volume. Although the lines breaks are in a poetic format, it reads as an ordinary novel would. In fact, it is incredibly easy to read. So, if you wish to bury yourself in gods and goddesses, centaurs, fauns and the like and re-visit characters that many of us grew up with on TV and at the movies (Achilles, Agamemnon, Ulysses, Jove and many more), then have at it. It was fun.

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐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.

⭐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.

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