THE TALE OF CUPID AND PSYCHE by...

THE TALE OF CUPID AND PSYCHE by Lucius Apuleius, translated from the Latin by Robert Graves, illustrated by Roberta Arenson (Shambhala: $8; 111 pp.). Fans of Disney’s animated “Beauty and the Beast” may be surprised to discover the roots of the story in the classical myth “Cupid and Psyche.” Apuleius’ version contains all the elements of the familiar fairy tale--a naively lovely heroine, jealous sisters, the unknowable master of a fabulous castle, hordes of invisible servants. Graves’ vital translation preserves the tone of the original text, following Apuleius as he veers from philosophical reflections to irreverent asides.