Auteur: Sir Burton Richard Francis

Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who penned the collection commonly referred to as the « Carmina. » Born in Verona around 84 BCE, he moved to Rome in his youth, where he became an influential literary figure among the circle of writers known as the neoteroi. His work was innovative, characterized by emotional intensity and exploration of personal life in a manner unusual for the canonical literature of the time. Catullus »s mastery of language ranged from the polished and erudite to the bluntly colloquial, permitting him to convey a spectrum of sentiments, from the deeply passionate to the bitterly sardonic. The « Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus » consists of 116 poems and is divided into three parts: short lyrical pieces, the longer poem 64, and the polymetrics. His poetry touches upon themes of love, friendship, and political life, with varying tones that include humor, pathos, and sometimes obscenity. Notably, his love affair with the pseudonymous « Lesbia » has served as a focal narrative for many of his poems – showcasing the potent blend of ecstasy and torment in human relationships. Catullus died young, presumably before his 30th year, but his legacy has endured, influencing subsequent generations of poets, such as Ovid and Horace, and resonating through the ages down to our contemporary era. His ability to weave the personal with the mythic, to capture the fleeting qualities of emotion with a language that remains vivid centuries later, continues to captivate readers and scholars alike.