December 15, 2002
So this is it. The donkey has retired - and believe me, he seems to enjoy every bit of it. All the hassle and bustle is now squarely a responsibility for http://www.parenthesisonline.com. The donkey wonders if the new page is going to do just as well.
The "Golden Ass" featured monthly reviews on literature and culture, offered previews from my own translations and a gestating novel, and celebrated "this rare happiness of times, when we may think what we please, and express what we think" (Tacitus). Whatever is made public on the site is open to be quoted under copyright and with permission by the editor. Please be a good sport and send us a message before you quote a text in full. You may access features and reviews from "Today's Issue," or, if you know the title, directly from the index: just click into one of the letters below. The archive is collecting materials and references which help to illuminate the moot points in my reviews and features.
Why the name "The Golden Ass?" As some of you may know, Lucius, a young man from ancient Rome, got carried away by his libido, dipped into the wrong aphrodisiac, and found himself magically transformed into a donkey. For Lucius it was an accident and unintentional, but in this, our blessed day and age, everybody has the right to make an ass of himself; that is the beauty of the first amendment. I shall take full advantage of my rights. However not to be the only donkey in the country, your feedback is welcome and interesting messages will appear in the mailbox. So please drop us a message. And that's it from here. We see us in "parenthesis" next door ...
Your most humble servant the donkey
