Catullus to Ovid: Reading Latin Love Elegy

This book contains Latin text, with translations and literary commentary, on seventeen poems by Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus and Ovid. The selection has been chosen to represent each author's qualities and to encourage comparison and contrast between them.
Guy Lee's translations, in English verse, reveal the poets' distinctive approaches: the stark intensity of Catullus; the challenging complexity of Propertius; and the witty, provocative, worldly poetry of Ovid. Joan Booth provides her own versions of the deceptively simple Tibullus and a running commentary on all the poems, which sets out to explain, suggest and question, ultimately prompting readers to their own informed critical judgements. The book is recommended for all those interested in Roman literature, whether reading love elegy in the original Latin or in English.

Joan Booth is Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Wales, Swansae.