The Golden Ass is a modern take on the first century novel by Apuleius, a glorious satire of its time, and the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety.

Michael brings this fantastical, hilarious, and sometimes terrifying tale into the 21st century. It is a tale of Lucius, a young man who, driven by desperate desire and insatiable curiosity, performs an act of magic on himself and accidentally transforms into a donkey. Perilous adventures follow, with Lucius falling into the hands of bandits, cultists, witches, slaves, circuses, soldiers and more.

The Golden Ass is a dazzling combination of allegory, satire and sheer exuberance which has inspired the likes of Shakespeare, Boccaccio, Cervantes and Keats. It remains powerfully relevant today in its plea for empathy and compassion in a world gone mad.

 

Adult themes, not suitable for children.