Ovid
Ovid
Author • Translator20 March 43 BCE – 17 or 18 CE)- Books
- 15
- Followers
- 0
About
Ovid, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria, three major collections of erotic poetry, the Metamorphoses a mythological hexameter poem, the Fasti, about the Roman calendar, and the Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto, two collections of poems written in exile on the Black Sea.
Ovid was also the author of several smaller pieces, the Remedia Amoris, the Medicamina Faciei Femineae, and the Ibis, a long curse-poem. He also authored a lost tragedy, Medea. He is considered a master of the elegiac couplet, and is traditionally ranked alongside Virgil and Horace as one of the three canonic poets of Latin literature.
The scholar Quintilian considered him the last of the canonical Latin love elegists. His poetry, much imitated during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, decisively influenced European art and literature and remains as one of the most important sources of classical mythology.
Top genres
Poetry Classics Mythology Drama Plays
Also known as
Featured works
Series
Authors in the same genres
Frequently asked questions
Ovid is most celebrated for his epic poem, the Metamorphoses, which retells myths of transformation from the creation of the world to the deification of Julius Caesar. He is also highly regarded for his collections of erotic poetry, including the Amores and Ars Amatoria.
For readers new to Ovid, the Metamorphoses is an excellent starting point due to its comprehensive collection of myths and its significant influence on Western literature and art. Alternatively, the Amores offers a good introduction to his elegiac style and themes of love.
Ovid is renowned for his mastery of the elegiac couplet, which he used with wit, elegance, and rhetorical sophistication across his diverse works. His narratives often feature vivid imagery, psychological insight, and a playful, sometimes ironic, tone.