An imaginary life

The novel draws inspiration from the historical figure of Ovid, the Roman poet who was exiled to Tomis. While Ovid's exile is a historical fact, the specific events and his encounter with the feral boy are fictionalized explorations of his later life.

This novel shares Malouf's recurring interest in themes of exile, identity, and the interplay between civilization and the natural world, which are also explored in various forms across his broader body of work.