The Golden Ass

THE GOLDEN ASS (Apuleius, Roman, Late 2nd century CE)

(Lucius) Apuleius (c. 124-after 170 CE) was a Numidian--ethnically, a Berber--who lived in what is now Algeria. He wrote in Latin, and was a novelist and philosopher who studied and traveled in Athens, Italy, Asia Minor, and Egypt. He was initiated into several cults of the day. He is most famous for his bawdy picaresque novel, the Metamorphoses, better known as The Golden Ass, the only Latin novel that has survived in its entirety. It relates the ludicrous adventures of one Lucius, who experiments with magic, and, in trying to turn himself into a bird, ends up as a donkey. He goes through various adventures, encountering a number of tales set into the main narrative, before being turned back into a human by the goddess Isis. Interestingly, Lucius is also the author's first name, and the character comes from the author's hometown.

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Satyricon

SATYRICON (Petronius, Roman, 1st century CE)

The Satyricon is a Roman book of satire about the bizarre sexual exploits of one Encolpius and his 16-year-old boyfriend Giton. One manuscript credits it to Petronius, a likely candidate given what we know about him. Petronius (full name either Gaius Petronius Arbiter or Titus Petronius Niger) was a member of Roman Emperor Nero's court, in a position that some describe as a fashion advisor. The historian Tacitus says he spent his days sleeping and his nights partying, becoming as famous by not working as other men do by exerting themselves. For a time he served as an effective governor, but then returned to "his life of vicious indulgence." At last, accused of treason by a jealous rival, he committed suicide by bleeding himself slowly to death while gossiping with friends.

• In 1969 Italian director Federico Fellini loosely based his film Fellini Satyricon on Petronius's book.

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