Available Formats
The Art of Love
By (Author) Ovid
Translated by James Michie
Introduction by David Malouf
Random House USA Inc
Modern Library Inc
15th October 2002
8th October 2002
United States
General
Non Fiction
871.01
Paperback
208
Width 132mm, Height 202mm, Spine 11mm
170g
In the first century a.d., Ovid, author of the groundbreaking epic poem Metamorphoses, came under severe criticism for The Art of Love, which playfully instructed women in the art of seduction and men in the skills essential for mastering the art of romantic conquest. In this remarkable translation, James Michie breathes new life into the notorious Roman's mock-didactic elegy. In lyrical, irreverent English, he reveals love's timeless dilemmas and Ovid's enduring brilliance as both poet and cultural critic.
Every age probably regards itself as unique in its sexual sophistication, and if we take Ovid as a typical spokesman we should have to conclude that the keynote of his age was elegance. . . . Ovid could not possibly have taken himself, nor be taken for, an Ancient.Rolfe Humphries
James Michie studied classics at Trinity College, Oxford. His other translations include Horace's Odes and Martial's Epigrams (both available as Modern Library Paperback Classics). His Collected Poems was awarded the Hawthornden Prize. David Malouf is the author of fourteen books, including An Imaginary Life and the international bestseller The Great World. His work has been awarded the Commonwealth Writers Prize, among other accolades. He lives in Tuscany and Australia.