When was Gaius Valerius Catullus born and when did he die?
Gaius Valerius Catullus lived from approximately 84 BC to approximately 54 BC. He was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who spent his young adult years in Rome.
Questions about Catullus
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who is the Lesbia character in Catullus poems identified as?
The Lesbia of his poems is usually identified with Clodia Metelli, a woman from the aristocratic house of patrician family Claudii Pulchri. She was the sister of Publius Clodius Pulcher and wife to Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer who served as consul of 60 BC.
How many carmina or poems are preserved in the Catullus anthology?
Catullus's poems have been preserved in an anthology of 116 carmina though the actual number varies slightly in various editions. These works divide into three parts including polymetra, longer poems, and epigrams.
Which Hellenistic poets influenced the style of Catullus poetry?
Catullus's poetry was influenced by the innovative poetry of the Hellenistic Age especially by Callimachus and the Alexandrian school. He also admired Sappho a female poet of the seventh century BC whose work he translated and imitated in poem 51.
What musical compositions set texts from Catullus poems to music?
Mátyás Seiber set Catullus 31 titled Sirmio for unaccompanied mixed chorus in 1956 while Carl Orff created a cantata called Catulli Carmina dating from 1943 that sets texts from Catullus to music. Other composers like Ned Rorem Dominick Argento and David Glaser have also set his verses to music.