Ovid's letters from mythological women are, as such, a unique work of ancient literature. With great psychological insight, the poet allows famous mythological figures like Penelope and Medea to articulate their laments about the absences of their beloved husbands, which are usually irreversible. Fifteen letters are followed by three pairs of letters, in which each woman responds to a letter from her husbands like in an epistolary novel.

Niklas Holzberg, Munich, Germany.