Catullus

Catullus-at-Lesbia's-large

Roman Empire - Bythinia et Pontus (125 AD)

Catullus et in eum commentarius

John Reinhard Weguelin Lesbia

Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84 – c. 54 BC) was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who is known for his passionate and personal poetry. Catullus's work is notable for its emotional intensity and its direct, often explicit, language. He wrote in a variety of poetic forms, but his most famous works are his love poems, particularly those addressed to a woman he calls Lesbia, widely believed to be a pseudonym for Clodia Metelli, a member of the aristocratic Clodian family.

Life

Little is known about the life of Catullus, and what is known is derived primarily from his own writings. Born in Verona, he belonged to a wealthy equestrian family. He moved to Rome at a young age, where he became part of the city's literary circle and developed friendships with other poets such as Gaius Helvius Cinna and Licinius Calvus, as well as with the orator Cicero. Despite his connections with the elite of Roman society, Catullus's poetry often expresses disdain for the political and social norms of his time.

Work

Catullus's surviving works are contained in a collection of 116 poems, varying in length from brief epigrams to longer poems such as the nuptial poem Carmen 61 and the mini-epic Carmen 64. His poetry covers a wide range of themes, including love, friendship, politics, and personal attacks against his enemies. Catullus is credited with bringing the elegiac couplet into Latin poetry, and his work had a significant influence on later poets, including Ovid, Horace, and Virgil.

The most distinctive aspect of Catullus's poetry is its personal nature. He writes openly about his own life, feelings, and relationships, breaking away from the traditional themes of Roman poetry. His relationship with Lesbia is a central theme of his work, depicted with a mixture of passion, jealousy, and despair. This emotional honesty and the vivid imagery of his poetry have made Catullus a enduring figure in the canon of Western literature.

Legacy

Catullus's influence on later literature is immense. His style and themes were adopted and adapted by the poets of the Augustan age, and his work continued to be admired and studied throughout the Renaissance and into the modern era. His poems have been translated into numerous languages, and his approach to poetry as a personal, expressive art form has had a lasting impact on the development of Western poetry.

See Also

• Roman literature
• Poetry of ancient Rome
• Elegiac couplet