The Golden Donkey - Lucius Apuleius

The novel "The Golden Donkey or Transformations" is considered the first novel in human history. It revolves around an Amazigh youth transformed into a donkey, but his mind remained purely human, so he moved from place to place, gazing at the stupidity and cruelty of humans. Lucius crafted his novel, The Golden Donkey, in his unique style and rewrote it to convey his "Platonic" view of the meaning of human life. He gave it, alongside its intriguing character, a philosophical dimension. He mixed various styles in it, including suspense, humor, sexual excitement, horror, brutality, grandeur, and majesty, giving it a unique flavor. It also has historical value as a source about the Mandaean religions spread in the Roman Empire at that time, which influenced Christianity, especially the religions of Attar and Isis.