Gaius Valerius Catullus (ca. 84 BC – ca. 54 BC) was one of the most influential Roman poets of the 1st century BC. His work is still widely studied, and his perennial influence continues to be seen in poetry and other forms of art.

Biography

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Little about Catullus's life is known for sure. Most sources, including Suetonius and the poet Ovid (Amores III.XV), agree that he was born in or near Verona, although the Palatine Hill of Rome has been mentioned as an alternative locus nascendi (place of birth). His was a leading equestrian family from Verona, but he lived in Rome most of his life. In 57 BC, he accompanied his friend Memmius to Bithynia, where Memmius had received a propraetor's post. Catullus's only political office was one year on the staff of the governor of Bithynia.

It is uncertain when Catullus died. Some ancient sources tell he died from exhaustion at the age of thirty. He is traditionally said to have lived from 84 BC until 54 BC; these dates are based on the allusions he makes in his poetry. Subsequently, his poems were appreciated by other poets and intellectuals, but politicians like Cicero despised them for their supposed amorality. Catullus was never considered one of the canonical school authors. Nevertheless, he greatly influenced later poets, including Ovid, Horace, and even Virgil; after his rediscovery in the Middle Ages, Catullus again found admirers. Still, his writing style, which is frequently explicit, was shocking to many readers, both ancient and modern, and until recently it was not easy to find an equally explicit translation of some of his poems. Jacob Rabinowitz has since remedied this.

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RT @kindle_book: The Poems and Fragments of Catullus - by Caius Valerius Catullus - Kindle Edition. http://tinyurl.com/yarkl5m
markguppy (Mark) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:11:16 -0000
RT @kindle_book: The Poems and Fragments of Catullus - by Caius Valerius Catullus - Kindle Edition. http://tinyurl.com/yarkl5m
The Poems and Fragments of Catullus - by Caius Valerius Catullus - Kindle Edition. http://tinyurl.com/yarkl5m
kindle_book (New Kindle Books) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:16:29 -0000
The Poems and Fragments of Catullus - by Caius Valerius Catullus - Kindle Edition. http://tinyurl.com/yarkl5m
Catullus totally killed Lesbia's bird « Andy talks too much.: Catullus got really angry and immediately di... http://bit.ly/6epPxt #poetry
iwritepoetry (Another Poet) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:47:50 -0000
Catullus totally killed Lesbia's bird « Andy talks too much.: Catullus got really angry and immediately di... http://bit.ly/6epPxt #poetry
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus - by Caius Valerius Catullus - Kindle Edition. http://bit.ly/8Nxdob
kindle_book (New Kindle Books) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:05:36 -0000
The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus - by Caius Valerius Catullus - Kindle Edition. http://bit.ly/8Nxdob
There is nothing more silly than a silly laugh. -- Gaius Valerius Catullus
webgeekcom (web-geek.com) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:05:48 -0000
There is nothing more silly than a silly laugh. -- Gaius Valerius Catullus
learn speechwriting? read the ancients cicero sallustius caesar tukydides plato and others oh of course catullus and ovidius
ErbilK (Erbil Kücük) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:32:58 -0000
learn speechwriting? read the ancients cicero sallustius caesar tukydides plato and others oh of course catullus and ovidius

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