Despite having been written in the first century AD, this fragmentary novel by an ancient-Roman satirist retains its impact as a daring novel of social and sexual adventure. Presenting the adventures of a pair of homosexual lovers, Encolpius and Giton, and their friend, Ascyltus, the story follows the boys as they wander through the towns of southern Italy, observing--and sometimes participating in--festivals, sexual orgies, abductions, and murder. Whether intended as a moral fable or a celebratory catalog of sexual achievement, Petronius's work remains wickedly entertaining, and this translation adds its own wit and flair to appeal to a 21st-century audience.