In this 1876 commentary Robinson Ellis portrays the life and work of Catullus, whose poetry illuminates the last years of the Roman Republic. Ellis examines the sources and textual history of the poems, discusses influences and metre, and speculates on the identity of the poet's beloved Lesbia.

This edition of eighty poems of Catullus is designed for college students. An introduction deals with the life of Catullus, his indebtedness to Alexandrian poetry, and the later history of the poems. The commentary interprets the poems in the light of modern linguistic and literary scholarship. The Latin text comes from the Oxford Classical Text edition edited by Roger Mynors.

First published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Catullus’ life was akin to pulp fiction. In Julius Caesar’s Rome, he engages in a stormy affair with a consul’s wife. He writes her passionate poems of love, hate, and jealousy. The consul, a vehement opponent of Caesar, dies under suspicious circumstances. The merry widow romances numerous young men. Catullus is drawn into politics and becomes a cocky critic of Caesar, writing poems that dub Julius a low-life pig and a pervert. Not surprisingly, soon after, no more is heard of Catullus. David Mulroy brings to life the witty, poignant, and brutally direct voice of a flesh-and-blood man, a young provincial in the Eternal City, reacting to real people and events in a Rome full of violent conflict among individuals marked by genius and megalomaniacal passions. Mulroy’s lively, rhythmic translations of the poems are enhanced by an introduction and commentary that provide biographical and bibliographical information about Catullus, a history of his times, a discussion of the translations, and definitions and notes that ease the way for anyone who is not a Latin scholar.

Comprehensive coverage, accessible to students and non-specialists, of one of the most popular poets of classical antiquity.