Catullus

Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84–c. 54 BCE) was one of the most influential lyric poets of ancient Rome. Stephen Mitchell’s many books include the best-selling Tao Te Ching, Gilgamesh, The Book of Job, The Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, The Gospel According to Jesus, The Iliad, The Odyssey, and Beowulf.

“What a dream combination, Stephen Mitchell and Catullus! I’ve always loved Catullus for his irreverence, his passion, his idiosyncratic voice, which echoes down the centuries. Now Mitchell has made him one of us, a contemporary poet whose verse unveils the human condition in all its madness and grace. Mitchell’s rare poetic gift shimmers through these translations.”—Jay Parini, author of New and Collected Poems, 1975–2015“The genius of Stephen Mitchell in these new translations is to make a friend of Catullus—a new incarnation of this bad boy ancient Roman poet, for ‘all those who are sensitive to beauty.’”—Daniel Halpern, author of Something Shining and founding publisher, Ecco“Is there any language that Stephen Mitchell can’t bring to life for readers of English? Here, in his first foray into Latin, he does for Catullus what he’s already done for Rilke, Neruda, and Yehuda Amichai: capture a great lyric voice with freshness, vigor and energy. This version belongs on the bookshelf of every poetry reader.”—James Romm, author of Demetrius: Sacker of Cities and The Sacred Band: Three Hundred Theban Lovers Fighting to Save Greek Freedom and series editor, Ancient Lives