The Erotic Poems (Classics)
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Product Description
Product Description
This collection of Ovid's poems deals with the whole spectrum of sexual desire, ranging from deeply emotional declarations of eternal devotion to flippant arguments for promiscuity. In the Amores, Ovid addresses himself in a series of elegies to Corinna, his beautiful, elusive mistress. The intimate and vulnerable nature of the poet revealed in these early poems vanishes in the notorious Art of Love, in which he provides a knowing and witty guide to sexual conquest - a work whose alleged obscenity led to Ovid's banishment from Rome in AD 8. This volume also includes the Cures for Love, with instructions on how to terminate a love affair, and On Facial Treatment for Ladies, an incomplete poem on the art of cosmetics.
About the Author
Publius Ovidius Naso was born in 43 BC at Sumo in Central Italy. He was expelled from Rome by the emperor Augustus in AD 8 for some unknown offence. He published poetry throughout his life.
Peter Green is the Dougherty Centennial Professor of Classics in the University of Texas, Austin. He has translated Ovid and Juvenal for the Penguin Classics.
Inside This Book
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ovid is one of my favourite poets but I do have misgivings about this translation. It's great if you're interested in reading Ovid's love poetry for pleasure, but if you're studying it at any level then it's quite far from the original text.
Green's translations are all a bit too jaunty and try-hard for me. For example, in 1.1.5 where the Latin is 'quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris?' Green translates this as ' "nasty young brat," I told him, "who made you Inspector of Metres?" '. A more literal translation would be 'who, cruel boy, gave you this right over poetry?', quite different in tone, I think, from Green.
Green has also written a substantial introduction which gives biographical details in some length and outlines his position in reading Ovid. Again, I disagree with his stance which seems to me to be a very literal one, that is he assumes Ovid is writing autobiographically and takes all his evidence from the poetry, a dubious position I think.
That aside, Ovid is a great poet and this is a very accessible volume for the general interested reader. However, for students I think this could be a barrier rather than a help and would stick to Loeb's Heroides and Amores (Loeb classical library).
Green's translations are all a bit too jaunty and try-hard for me. For example, in 1.1.5 where the Latin is 'quis tibi, saeve puer, dedit hoc in carmina iuris?' Green translates this as ' "nasty young brat," I told him, "who made you Inspector of Metres?" '. A more literal translation would be 'who, cruel boy, gave you this right over poetry?', quite different in tone, I think, from Green.
Green has also written a substantial introduction which gives biographical details in some length and outlines his position in reading Ovid. Again, I disagree with his stance which seems to me to be a very literal one, that is he assumes Ovid is writing autobiographically and takes all his evidence from the poetry, a dubious position I think.
That aside, Ovid is a great poet and this is a very accessible volume for the general interested reader. However, for students I think this could be a barrier rather than a help and would stick to Loeb's Heroides and Amores (Loeb classical library).
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ok, I must admit my utter bias in writing this review, as I adore Ovid. This is a great collection of his poetry in translation for anyone with an interest in Ovid or in Latin love poetry. The poems probably make more sense if you are familiar with his predecessors (Catullus, Propertius and Tibullus) but why not let this lead you into a love affair with the love elegists? He is devilishly witty and loves to play around with the genre. Definitely for anyone with a wicked sense of humour.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really enjoyed this book. If you're interested in how people thought way before our own time, and you're interested in true poetry; this book is the right for you. It gave me a real insight in how Ovid thought about love, and I think it's a shame people don't think or write that way anymore. Either way, I loved the book.
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