Classical Love Poetry - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0714122807 ISBN 13: 9780714122809

Publisher: British Museum Press, 2013

Synopsis

From the darkly erotic poetry of Sappho to the bawdy advice of Ovid, love is a ubiquitous theme in Classical poetry. This newly revised edition collects the best short poems and extracts from the Classical tradition, by authors including Virgil, Homer, Catullus, Horace, Sappho and Ovid, and illustrates them with the finest Classical and classically inspired pieces from the British Museum's extensive collection.

With an engaging and informative introduction on love in Classical poetry and a short biographical note on each of the poets covered, Classical Love Poetry is a delightful exploration of the treasures of Classical literature and art that will be equally appreciated by aficionados and those coming to the poems for the first time.

About the authors

Classical Love Poetry has been edited and translated by Jonathan Williams and Clive Cheesman.

Jonathan Williams studied Classics at Oxford University and was curator of Roman and Iron Age coins at the British Museum, where he is now director of collections.

Clive Cheesman read Classics at Oxford University. He was formerly a curator of coins and medals in the British Museum and is now Richmond Herald at the College of Arms. He has published on Roman personal names, on which he wrote his doctoral thesis.

About this title

Review

'A beautifully presented little anthology, by turns tender, erotic, angry, rueful, witty and despairing. For Lucretius, love is the life-force; for Euripides it s a curse; for Sophocles, it has the force of destiny' --Saturday Scotsman

'This collection takes is on a journey through the ups and downs of Love... each poem is enhanced by a beautiful illustration from the British Museum's collection' --Minerva

About the Author

Jonathan Williams read Classics at Oxford University with a doctoral thesis on the history of the Roman Republic. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Director of Collections in the British Museum, and he has published widely on Roman history and numismatics.

Clive Cheesman read Classics at Oxford University and wrote his doctoral thesis on the names and titles of the Emperor Augustus. He was formerly a curator in the department of Coins and Medals in the British Museum.

About this edition

• Publisher: British Museum Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0714122807
• ISBN 13: 9780714122809
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 96