Ovid zwischen Biographie und Roman

Diane Middlebrooks unvollendeter Ovid: Der junge Ovid (2012) und Young Ovid (2015)

Abstract

In 2012, Der junge Ovid, the unfinished work of the late Diane Middlebrook (1939–2007), was published in Austria. Various aspects make it a very special book: the translation was published more than two years before the original: The Augustan poet is brought to life in social and cultural history chapters and biographical, fictional passages that depict a possible reality. Middlebrook’s widower, Carl Djerassi (1923–2015), widely known as the ‘Mother of the Pill’ and as the author of novels and plays belonging to the new genres he created, “science-in-fiction” and “science-in-theatre”, asked me to check philological details before going to press. In close cooperation with the publisher Andres Müry, Djerassi’s wishes came true: the publication was followed by a book launch, readings from the book and a major event at the University of Vienna (with keynote and round table): Ovid is shown as a newborn, as a child hanging on the lips of his mother, the first storyteller of his life, as a young man full of literary talent taking his first steps in the city of Rome, and as a famous author at the age of 46, surrounded by frescoes depicting scenes from his opus magnum, the Metamorphoses. The following pages retell the fascinating story of the publication of a modern book about an ancient author under unconventional circumstances and compare the translation with the original.