A vivid narrative that recreates the life of Gaius Valerius Catullus, Rome's first modern" poet, and follows a young man's journey through a world filled with all the indulgences and sexual excesses of the time, from doomed love affairs to shrewd political maneuvering and backstabbing--an accessible, appealing look at one of history's greatest poets.
Born to one of Verona's leading families, Catullus spent most of his young adulthood in Rome, mingling with the likes of Caesar and Cicero and chronicling his life through his poetry. Famed for his lyrical and subversive voice, his poems about his friends were jocular, often obscenely funny, while those who crossed him found themselves skewered in raunchy verse, sudden objects of hilarity and ridicule. These bawdy poems were disseminated widely throughout Rome. Many of his poems recall his secret longstanding affair with the seductive older Clodia.
While Catullus and Clodia made love in the shadows, the whole of Italy was quaking as Caesar, Pompey and Crassus forged a doomed alliance for power. During these tumultuous years, Catullus increasingly turned to darker subject matter, and he finally composed his greatest work of all--a poem about the decoration on a bedspread--which forms the heart of this biography, a work of beauty that will achieve immortality and make Catullus a legend.
About the Author :
Daisy Dunn studied classics at the University of Oxford, earned a master's degree in art history at the Courtauld Institute of Art, and completed a doctorate in classics and art history at University College London. She writes for the Daily Telegraph, Newsweek, The Spectator, the Times Literary Supplement, and History Today. She lives in London, England.
Mike Grady, Earphones Award-winning narrator and voice talent, is an English actor whose career has spanned more than forty years. On stage he has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, and on the West End. He is also known for roles in Last of the Summer Wine, Sweet Sixteen, and Citizen Smith.
Review :
"[Dunn] deserves plaudits for bringing this fine poet and his tumultuous times so vividly to life."
-- "Daily Mail (London)"
"A fresh, knowledgeable introduction to life, love, war, and rivalries in ancient Rome."
-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"A moving introduction to the greatest love poet of all time."
-- "Robert Harris, New York Times bestselling author"
"An unforgettable journey into the high art and low life of ancient Rome."
-- "Dan Jones, New York Times bestselling author "
"Delves deep into the ancient Roman cultural and political climate in which the poet Gaius Valerius Catullus crafted his erotic poems...[and] skillfully pieces together an uncensored portrait of her subject."
-- "Library Journal"
"Dunn carefully conjures [Catullus'] biography from his works and his relations with rich and powerful contemporaries."
-- "Booklist"
"Dunn's impressionistic life of Catullus, the passionate and often obscene Roman poet, gets a smart and engaging reading from Mike Grady. (Note: Graphic sexual references abound.) Grady's deep, rough, yet velvety voice and his well-measured, almost rhythmic, pacing could sweep listeners along if he read the back of a cereal box. He brings intelligence and a rich emotional sense to the text and the many quotations from the poetry...affording the listener rich pleasure."
-- "AudioFile"
"Extracting insights about [Catullus'] life from his poems, [Dunn] places him expertly in his time and place...[and] provides fascinating nuggets of knowledge, social history, and poetry."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"For all those of us who love counting stars, none burns brighter in the literary firmament than that of Gaius Valerius Catullus--Daisy Dunn's brilliant new biography of the Roman master will shine beams of light on his darkly passionate poetry."
-- "Paul Cartledge, author of The Spartans"
"Rome's most famous bad boy poet comes alive as never before. Stunning!"
-- "Boris Johnson, mayor of London"
"The task of piecing together a biography from verse alone is one that Daisy Dunn performs with admirable creativity and diligence."
-- "Times (London)"
