Should anyone here not know the art of love, read this, and learn by reading how to love. By art the boat’s set gliding, with oar and sail, by art the chariot’s swift: love’s ruled by art. Inspired by Valentine’s Day, our selection this month is The Art of Love, or Ars Amatoria, by the Roman poet Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso). As always, you can read any translation you like.… Read more
The Book Club selection for May is a drama: Seneca the Younger’s Oedipus. The discussion will start and continue in the forum, with a live conversation on Tuesday May 28th at 11 a.m. EDT. There will also be a community reading on Tuesday May 21st at 11 a.m. EDT; estimated duration 2–3 hours. We are familiar with the treatment of the myth by Sophocles from The Ancient Greek Hero in… Read more
To make a light-hearted start to the new year, this month’s Book Club selection is a Roman comedy by Plautus, Rudens, “the Rope”. As usual, the conversation will start and continue in the Forum, with Google Hangouts on Tuesday, January 29, 2019, at 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. EST. You can read any translation you like. Here are a couple that are available free online: Translation by Cleveland K. Chase… Read more
Our Book Club readings for this month are selections from the poetry of Catullus. We will start the discussion in the Forum, and there will be a Google Hangout on Tuesday, June 26 at 11 a.m. EDT—the link will be posted in the Forum at that time. Gaius Valerius Catullus was a renowned Roman poet. He had a short life: he was born around 84 BCE or 87 BCE, and he… Read more
We were delighted to welcome Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University, and Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, for a discussion on the poetry of Horace. In preparation for this event, you might like to read his article in Classical Inquiries: Some imitations of Pindar and Sappho by Horace The Odes of Horace on Perseus: Ode 4.1 Ode… Read more