Apuleius

Apuleius

Lucius ('lu:sI&s). 2nd century ad, Roman writer, noted for his romance The Golden Ass

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Apuleius 

Born circa A.D. 124, in Madauros, North Af-rica; year of death unknown. Ancient Roman writer.

Apuleius wrote in Greek and Latin. His extant works are the novel Metamorphoses in XI Books (also known as The Golden Ass), Defense, or a Discourse on Magic, and Florida, a collection of excerpts from speeches and rhetorical declamations. All these works have been published in Russian translation (1959). The novel The Golden Ass presents a broad view of the daily life and customs of the Roman provinces during the second century. Among the 11 novellas inserted in the work, the fairy tale of Cupid and Psyche has been frequently adapted in various countries, including Russia (I. F. Bogdanovich and S. T. Aksakov). Plots were borrowed from Apuleius’ novel by G. Boccaccio, M. Cervantes, H. Fielding, T. Smollett, and other writers.

WORKS

Opera quae supersunt, vols. 1–3. Vols. 1–2 reviewed by R. Helm; vol. 3 reviewed by R. Thomas. Leipzig, 1905–10.

REFERENCES

Tronskii, I. M. Istoriia antichnoi literatury, 3rd ed. Leningrad, 1957.
Monceaux, P. Apulée, roman et magie. Paris, 1910.
Vallette, P. L’Apologie d’Apulée. Paris, 1909.

S. P. MARKISH