The poetry of change. Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso, 43 BC – 17 AD), born in Sulmona, studied rhetoric and law in Rome. Later, he held a significant public office there and dedicated himself primarily to poetry and society. Initially famous, he offended Emperor Augustus with his work Ars Amatoria and was exiled because of this work and another reason unknown to us, settling in the cold and primitive city of Tomis on the Black Sea. He continued to write poetry, a noble man who led a measured life. He died in exile.

The main surviving works of Ovid include the Metamorphoses, a source of inspiration for artists and poets, including Chaucer and Shakespeare. The Fasti, a poetic treatment of the Roman year, of which Ovid only completed half. The Loves, erotic poems. The Ars Amatoria, not moral but clever and in some places beautiful, and the Heroides, imaginary love letters from famous women to absent husbands. The dark works he wrote in exile: the Tristia, appeals to figures such as his wife and also the emperor, and the similar Letters from the Pontus.

Poetry came naturally to Ovid, who at his best is lively, picturesque, and clear. The Loeb Classical Library edition of Ovid is in six volumes.

Pages: 512, Year of Publication: 0101, Dimensions: 10.8x10.8cm