The Amores

Ovid's Amores is among the wittiest works of Latin literature. Written in the first century BCE, it follows the poet's playful, ironic affair with a woman he calls Corinna, and in doing so it turns the conventions of Roman love elegy upside down. Here are poems about pursuit and jealousy, dinner parties and doorways, the gods of love and the streets of Rome, all delivered in Ovid's sparkling, self-aware voice.

This edition presents the complete text of the Amores in Henry T. Riley's nineteenth-century prose translation, with his explanatory notes; one elegy is given only in the original Latin. It includes a new introduction that sets Ovid and his work in context, a guide to the principal characters, a summary of the poems, and a discussion of the major themes. A glossary explains unfamiliar terms, and a set of questions is provided for readers, students, and book clubs. Whether you are coming to Ovid for the first time or returning to his poetry, this edition offers a clear way into the poems.