Ovid's epic poem—whose theme of change has resonated throughout the ages—is one of the most important texts of Western imagination, an inspiration from Dante's times to the present day, when writers such as Salman Rushdie and Italo Calvino have found a living source in Ovid's work. Charles Martin combines a close fidelity to Ovid's text with verse that catches the speed and liveliness of the original. Martin's Metamorphoses will be the translation of choice for contemporary readers in English. This volume also includes endnotes and a glossary of people, places, and personifications.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 9 reviews)

No Happy Endings.

Publius Ovidius Naso was born in 43 B.C and died in 18 A.D.
He was banished for unknown reasons to Tomi, a barren place near the coast of the Black Sea. A few scholars believe that this was a literary hoax created by Ovid himself. It would enable him to write the 'Tristia' and 'Letters From The Black Sea'.
'Metamorphoses' is his main achievement. It contains 250 stories from the Greek Mythology and they all have in common that the principal character changes into another form. Most of the time they turn into an animal or a tree but also in a river, a constellation of stars, a rock or a flower and other pleasant surprises.

If you read this book you won't find many happy endings. The ancient Greeks didn't know the meaning of that expression.
It's not an easy read but if you persist it will be a rewarding literary experience.
December 27, 2008

Vivid and entertaining reading

First off, I'm not a scholar of Latin, nor of Ovid. I do speak another language, though, so I'm familiar with the problems of translations. That said, my impression of this translation is that it is a vivid and entertaining read. Many of the stories are familiar to any educated person, especially because they form the subject matter for many of the Western world's most famous paintings and sculptures. Martin makes the stories come alive, painting striking visual images with his words while gracefully preserving the rhythmic drive that seems to have been part of the original. And all this while translating from Latin, whose case-driven structure is quite different from English! It's impressive - and fun to read.
December 01, 2008

Greek myth

Heavy going - but then again isn't all greek tragedy- but a good unbiased translation. Great classroom text. You will need a good background in other greek myth to get the underlying story lines in some of the metamorphoses work. Greek tragedy never stands alone but builds.
November 02, 2008

Overdone

I was so excited to read this, after hearing the praise for the new translation. It turned out to be an exhausting exercise in attempts to be inventive. The main word that comes to mind is tiresome. I'm terribly sorry since it took so much work, obviously, but it just didn't ring as true to me as Rolfe Humphries's translation, which is so simple and straight-forward that I never want to put it down, because there's so much there behind the words. It's a matter of taste, of course, but I would put forth The Story of Baucis and Philemon as an example - read both translations and see what you think.
February 22, 2008

Outstanding Translation of Ovids masterpiece

Ovids Metamorphoses was Leonardo Da Vinci favorite piece of literature with this well written translation I have become a lover of his work. This edition is both well documented with footnotes and endnotes that are clear and concise. The books print is also easy to read. Metamorphoses is collection of short stories some with morales and many with just plain ideas on conduct with in society. Ovid is a master story teller with beautiful fluidity of prose and ideas. His imagery is so colorful that the characters truly come to life on the page before us. This is the third translation I have read and this is by far the best version it is well worth the invest because to introduce your children to this epic with this translation will be magic to their imaginations. Good reading.
January 10, 2008

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