Langbeschreibung
Documenting the colourful escapades of the former gladiator Encolpius and his less than faithful lover Giton, the "e;Satyricon"e; plunges the reader into the lives of ordinary Roman citizens, vividly revealing the Empire's seamy underbelly. A host of unforgettable characters are satirically presented, such as Trimalchio, the pretentious parvenu host, in a memorable banquet scene, the lascivious priestess Quartilla and the narrator's unreliable, roguish friend Ascyltus. Sometimes referred to as the first novel - although surviving only in fragments - this bawdy, picaresque and surprisingly modern narrative is considered one of the founding masterpieces of Western literature.