Catullus, Gaius Valerius (c. 84–54 BC)

Roman lyric poet. He wrote in a variety of metres and forms, from short narratives and hymns to epigrams. He moved with ease through the literary and political society of late republican Rome. His love affair with the woman he called ‘Lesbia’ provided the inspiration for many of his poems.

Catullus was born in Verona, northern Italy. In 57 BC, on a visit to Asia, he visited his brother's tomb near Troy and wrote the celebrated lament ‘Multas per gentes’. He was given to political outbursts, including an attack on Caesar, who nevertheless treated him with the utmost courtesy. As a poet, Catullus is remarkable for his mastery of the Latin language, which he endows with the sweetness, flexibility, and melody of Greek. His epic narrative of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis contains some fine descriptive passages. A paraphrase of Callimachus's ‘Lock of Berenice’, and the wild, vibrant ‘Attis’ are among his finest works.