Metamorphosis: Poems Inspired by Titian

A unique collaboration between the National Gallery and the Royal Opera House, fourteen leading poets were invited to respond to three great masterpieces by the Renaissance painter, Titian: Diana and Callisto, Diana and Actaeon and The Death of Actaeon.

To coincide with a major exhibition at the National Gallery, London some of the most successful poets in the world were invited to contribute including Carol Ann Duffy, Seamus Heaney and Don Paterson

Titian's paintings were inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses – stories of transformation – and depict the fatal consequences of a mortal tragically caught up in the affairs of the gods. Titian would have known Ovid's poem from a contemporary translation in Italian. This book’s introduction by Nicholas Penny, 'Ovid, Titian, and English Poetry', shows how Titian incorporated specific elements from Ovid's verses in his paintings, and compares some of the most famous translations in English.

The late Lucian Freud described Diana and Callisto and Diana and Actaeon as ‘simply the most beautiful pictures in the world’. These new poems, each illustrated with full colour details from Titian's paintings, demonstrate the quality and range of writing in Britain today, and show how Old Master paintings continue to inspire living artists.

Contributing Poets:

Patience Agbabi, Simon Armitage, Wendy Cope, Carol Ann Duffy, Lavinia Greenlaw, Tony Harrison, Seamus Heaney, Frances Leviston, Sinéad Morrissey, Don Paterson, Christopher Reid, Jo Shapcott, George Szirtes, Hugo Williams.

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