Epic poem, biography, literary criticism, historical romance --- in "A Gift," David Slavitt presents the fascinating life of Mozart"s librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, one of history"s great unknowns, a man blessed and cursed by his conviction that within him lay the capacity for literary greatness. David R. Slavitt is the author of dozens of volumes of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. He is also a noted translator of the works of Virgil, Ovid, Seneca, and Avianus.