Metamorphoses

Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Jhumpa Lahiri and distinguished classicist Yelena Baraz bring striking vision and innovation to one of the greatest literary works of all time

Daphne and Apollo. Echo and Narcissus. Daedalus and Icarus. Metamorphoses speaks to us today more than ever for its portrayal of power dynamics, shifting identity, and a world constantly under threat.

Now, this bold, free-verse translation releases the riverine flow of Ovids poetry. Contemporary language and undulating composition propel readers from one unforgettable story to the next. In pairing a creative writer with a scholar, this translation is at once free-spirited and closely bound to Ovid’s kaleidoscopic Latin text. Baraz and Lahiri draw out Ovid’s attention to moments of psychological nuance, to the passage of time, to border crossings and to fluid states of being. And by centering the experiences of Ovids women, they reframe complex questions of violence, gender, and bodily autonomy for a new generation of readers.

Inviting to both a first-time audience and long-time lovers of Ovid, this dynamic, formally inventive translation reminds us that Ovids Metamorphoses is a work of perpetual relevance and breathtaking sweep.