Satyrica
Despite having been written in the first century AD, this fragmentary novel by an ancient-Roman satirist retains its impact as a daring novel of social and sexual adventure. Presenting the adventures of a pair of homosexual lovers, Encolpius and Giton, and their friend, Ascyltus, the story follows the boys as they wander through the towns of southern Italy, observing—and sometimes participating in—festivals, sexual orgies, abductions, and murder. Whether intended as a moral fable or a celebratory catalog of sexual achievement, Petronius's work remains wickedly entertaining, and this translation adds its own wit and flair to appeal to a 21st-century audience.

1116647732
Satyrica
Despite having been written in the first century AD, this fragmentary novel by an ancient-Roman satirist retains its impact as a daring novel of social and sexual adventure. Presenting the adventures of a pair of homosexual lovers, Encolpius and Giton, and their friend, Ascyltus, the story follows the boys as they wander through the towns of southern Italy, observing—and sometimes participating in—festivals, sexual orgies, abductions, and murder. Whether intended as a moral fable or a celebratory catalog of sexual achievement, Petronius's work remains wickedly entertaining, and this translation adds its own wit and flair to appeal to a 21st-century audience.

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Paperback(Revised ed.)

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Overview

Despite having been written in the first century AD, this fragmentary novel by an ancient-Roman satirist retains its impact as a daring novel of social and sexual adventure. Presenting the adventures of a pair of homosexual lovers, Encolpius and Giton, and their friend, Ascyltus, the story follows the boys as they wander through the towns of southern Italy, observing—and sometimes participating in—festivals, sexual orgies, abductions, and murder. Whether intended as a moral fable or a celebratory catalog of sexual achievement, Petronius's work remains wickedly entertaining, and this translation adds its own wit and flair to appeal to a 21st-century audience.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781857547832
Publisher: Carcanet Press, Limited
Publication date: 04/01/2009
Series: Fyfield Books
Edition description: Revised ed.
Pages: 320
Product dimensions: 5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Petronius was a satirical writer who probably lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero. Little is known about his life, but the historian Tacitus describes a Petronius who was the arbiter elegantiae ("judge of elegance") in Nero's court, but all biographical information is considered speculative. Frederic Raphael is the author of After the War, Coast to Coast, and The Glittering Prizes. Also a leading screenwriter, his work includes the screenplays for the Academy Award-winning film Darling, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, and Far from the Madding Crowd.

Table of Contents

Note on the Author and Translators
Chronology of Petronius• Times
Introduction

SATYRICA
Agamemnon
Quartilla
Trimalchio
Eumolpus
Circe

Testimonia, Fragments, Poems, Attributions

Glossary of Important Names
Petronius and his Critics
Suggestions for Further Reading
Text Summary
Acknowledgments
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