Catullus: A Poet in the Rome of Julius Caesar

by Aubrey Burd, Catullus

Surveying the times in which the extraordinarily popular poet Catullus thrived—ca. 84–54 B.C., the golden days of the Roman Republic—Aubrey Burl reconstructs the life of a man who epitomized an era. Catullus demonstrated a genius for the epigram, as well as the lyric, for heartfelt love songs and moving elegies. Nor did Catullus leave himself out of his pungent, spare, ironic, and superbly crafted verses, reflecting not only his personal temperament but also his perceived values, and often disparages, in a Rome increasingly beset by civil war, moral laxity, and social unrest. This book takes Catullus from his native Verona, where he grew up in wealth and influence, to Rome and to fame. A well-liked, sociable man, he entertained his friends in the lavish fashion of his day while he amused and shocked his public with urbane poetic trifles. He intrigued his public with love poems addressed to Lesbia—in reality, a married woman named Clodia—with whom he had a tempestuous affair. Though brilliant by any standard, these intimate lyrics would not save Catullus from centuries of obscurity, although they would eventually emerge in a lone third generation copy of a book in the fourteenth century, in his hometown of Verona.

Genres: Biography, Ancient History, Poetry, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2003

Reviews

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of daily life, love, and poetry in ancient Rome.
Catullus is known for his explicit details of sex in his poetry on all sorts of affairs, as was fashionable in contemporary Rome,
Young Catullus falls in love with Clodia, for discretion calls her Lesbia, his fantastic poems of love for her, he is remarkably discreet in his own love life with Lesbia, as long as he is in love, and that almost to the end.
A more or less conjectured biography of the poet, with related poetry from Sappho, Callimachus, Martial, and others.
This turned out to be a lesson in history and classic poetry, much to my pleasure.

[J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

As best I can tell, this book is the result of Burd's failed attempt to write a historical novel. He appears to have read Catullus' poetry, taken it as an honest reflection of his life and experiences, and cobbled together a lively tale from it. Unfortunately - both for the author and for his woebegone audience - there was not enough material there to merit publication, so Burl squeezed in everything he had ever read about ancient Roman culture and hung it on the loose frame of Catullus' life, calling the entire thing Catullus!

I swear to God, there is more filler in that book than actual information about Catullus, and what he does tell us about Catullus is based almost entirely off of his poetry - a practice that has been generally avoided for at least the last fifty years. I was reading detailed descriptions of Catullus' journey from Verona to Rome, information that was pulled from the sole fact that Catullus was born in Verona and later came to Rome. It was incredible. There was one point where Burd remarked, "Catullus never mentioned the gladiatorial games, but if he had...." and then he launches into several pages on spectacle in the ancient world and what Catullus would have seen had he been to a show. Absolutely amazing.

At one point I found myself reading about Pompeii and Herculaneum, the papyrii preserved therein and the digital imaging techniques used to read what otherwise appear to be lumps of char. Interesting, I agree, but pertinent to a book on Catullus? No.

I don't know how this stuff gets published, but it gives me hope that someday, if I write pure schlock, I might be able to find a place for my work in the bargain bin at Borders.

[Liam Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think too much was crammed into this book. But if you look at the title one could argue the work indicates it will be about the era of Julius Caesar, and it certainly is. Some of the Latin derivations seem stretched. But I enjoyed this like a historical novel. Would recommend it to any history or poetry buff.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography of my favorite poet of all time. Burl's grasp of Latin seems a little shaky, which leads to some odd statements, but on the whole, a most satisfying book.