The Last World

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A man embarks on a quest to find the Roman poet Ovid, exiled to a remote location. He discovers that Ovid's essence and tales have transformed into a series of clues scattered across people, strange events, and landscapes. In his anguish over being banished from Rome, Ovid had burned the manuscript of his masterpiece, Metamorphoses. Years later, when news of his death reaches Rome, his young admirer Cotta follows him to the Black Sea port of Tomi. There, he encounters a town steeped in Ovidian mythology, where the ancient world collides with the modern era. As Cotta deciphers the clues left by Ovid, he becomes immersed in a surreal landscape that mirrors the lost poem, where the ordinary morphs into the extraordinary. Characters and events, such as a village idiot turning to stone and a beautiful woman vanishing, contribute to a compelling narrative that explores themes of exile, censorship, and environmental decay. Acclaimed as a modern masterpiece, this novel captivates with its lush language and profound insights into the cyclical nature of life and time. It serves as a cultural and political fable, resonating with contemporary issues while remaining timeless.