The Student’s Catullus

Although his audacious, erotic, and satirical verses survived the Middle Ages in only a single copy, Catullus has in our time become a standard author in the college Latin curriculum, ranking with Virgil, Horace, and Ovid.

In this third edition, thoroughly revised, Daniel H. Garrison makes these famous poems more accessible than ever to students of Latin. A standard college textbook as well as a comprehensive reference, the book includes a brief introduction about the poet’s life and the character of his poems, a fresh recension of all 113 poems, and a commentary in English on each poem, explaining difficult points of Latin, features of Catullus’ artistry, and background information. The notes to each poem also illuminate the meaning of Catullus’ language, with explanations of word choice, word order, sound effects, and meter. Additional aids to the reader are a Who’s Who of the most important people in Catullus’ poems, an introduction to Catullan meters, a glossary of literary terms used in the commentary, a complete Latin-English Catullan vocabulary, and six maps.

Rather than promoting specific literary judgments or theories, The Student’s Catullus provides readers of this important Latin poet with the information necessary to read the poet’s own language intelligently and to make fresh appraisals of their own.