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Horace: Poet on a Volcano (Ancient Lives)

Description:

A biography of Horace, one of the most popular poets from antiquity, revealing the little-known man behind his famous lines
 
Peter Stothard is a master of modern writing about ancient Rome, of vividly bringing to life its poetry and its poets.”—Mary Beard
 
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65–8 BCE) wrote some of ancient Rome’s greatest poetry, melding languages and cultures with youthful ideals and a realist’s recognition of the dictatorial world around him. Horace is famed for his fine phrases, lyric sex, and guidance on how to live, but he was a poet maddened by war, and many of his most self-revealing poems have rarely been read. He could be sublime and obscene, amusing and abusive, a model of moderation and anything but.
 
In this book, the first modern retelling of Horace’s life, Peter Stothard follows the poet from his birth as the son of a formerly enslaved father through his rise to the highest circles of Roman society. He shines a light on how shattering experiences in the war to save Rome’s republic shaped the loyal servant and revolutionary artist he became. With astute scholarship and sympathy, Stothard follows Horace’s rise from humble beginnings to the social and political heights of the autocracy he had fought to prevent.


Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A] gory, gripping story of an ex-slave’s son who became a war poet in the twilight of the Roman Republic and a courtier in the empire of Augustus.”—Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal

“Stothard knows his source material backwards—and has fun with it.”—Rachel Cunliffe,
Times (UK)

“Vibrant and enthralling . . . [and] relevant today. . . . A compelling portrait of a man and his times that will entrance.”—Jim Kelly,
Air Mail

“Vivid, informative and probing.”—William Fitzgerald,
Times Literary Supplement

“[Stothard’s] books are so intensely enjoyable, so invigoratingly smart. . . . So it is with this new book. . . . [A] remarkably energetic work, with two standout bits of excellence. The first of these is Stothard’s running commentary on the poems themselves, which tends to make Horace’s artistic development as gripping as if readers were watching it happen in real time. . . . And the second bit of excellence: 30 pages of close-typed Source Notes that veritably sing with erudition and zest.”—Steve Donoghue,
Open Letters Review

“Beautifully-written. . . . Stothard writes so compellingly that you feel you are never more than a few feet away from the poet in all his lardy splendour.”—Daisy Dunn,
Spectator

“Stothard has written a splendid and fascinating book that will surely have us rereading it time and again. No body interested in late republican and early imperial Rome should miss it.”—Allan Massie,
Literary Review

“A pert, canny, and enchanting biography.”―New Criterion



“In an always lucid, evenly flowing prose, Stothard sets out Horace’s family background, corrects mistaken notions about him, and connects his life and career to the major events and players of his day. . . . [Horace] was in his poetry able to establish a winning intimacy between himself and his readers that traveled down through the centuries.”—Joseph Epstein,
National Review

“[Stothard] manages with fine economy and immensely readable sentences to integrate life and times (and what times) in a most compelling narrative.”―Cultag Press Blog



“Among the valuable takeaways from
Horace: we do ourselves no favor by censoring the past—we need to perceive it in its full, horrifying context. But that does not mean its artists should be condemned, especially those, like Horace, who advocated seizing on the immediate with existential zest.”—Thomas Filbin, Arts Fuse

“Perhaps the greatest strength of this biography is Stothard’s close reading of Horace’s work, including both the Latin (for the nerdier connoisseurs) and his translations (for the benefit of all readers). Words matter, and for a poet who took much time choosing each one carefully, words matter even more than for most. I have a greater appreciation for Horace as both a poet and a thinker after reading this biography.”—Nadya Williams,
University Bookman

“Enviably graceful and erudite. . . . [Stothard] opens up Horace’s poetry for new and experienced readers alike.”—Spencer A. Klavan,
Claremont Review of Books

“Dazzling. . . . An elegantly written biography of a famous, but still little-known, man.”—Joan Baum,
Baum on Books, WSHU Public Radio

“Peter Stothard is a master of modern writing about ancient Rome, of vividly bringing to life its poetry and its poets.”—Mary Beard

“A fascinating biography of an extraordinary life. Sexual abuse and the madness of war beyond the better-known moral lectures, wine, and rose petals. A brilliant and compelling study that brings Horace to life for a new generation.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of
The World: A Family History of Humanity

“In this lively biography of Horace and his times, Stothard shows how a poet is not only born, but made. From humble beginnings (the son of a slave), through education, application, and luck, even after finding himself on the losing side of a civil war, Horace finds himself rubbing shoulders with Rome’s elite. Stothard wears his considerable learning with gossamer lightness, keeping a weather eye on the poems (there is something here for the Latinist as well as the layman) even as he tells Horace’s story. Coming of age in an uncertain era of strong men jostling for dominance, as dreams of restoring the Republic faded and the world order was upended, Horace is a poet not only for all time, but for our times. Should poets be speaking truth, albeit slant, to autocratic power, or distract themselves with love, friendship and song? In Horace’s modern poems, technical feats of meter and mosaics of word order, he shows the way of the Roman road, ‘straight where it can be, sinuous where it has to be.’ No one knows what’s coming. Seize the moment.”—A. E. Stallings, author of
Frieze Frame

About the Author

Peter Stothard is a classicist, journalist, and critic. He is a former editor of The Times of London and of the Times Literary Supplement. His books include The Last Assassin: The Hunt for the Killers of Julius CaesarCrassus: The First Tycoon; and Palatine: An Alternative History of the Caesars.

Details:

Horace: Poet on a Volcano (Ancient Lives)

Product ID: U0300256582
Condition: New

BHD1710

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Type: Hardcover
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of BHD 2. Free for orders above BHD 20.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United States

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

Every product in the BOLO catalogue is sourced through our Verified Global Supply Network of verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of Bahrain. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the Bahrain will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in Bahrain are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Horace: Poet on a Volcano (Ancient Lives)

Product ID: U0300256582
Condition: New
Horace: Poet on a Volcano (Ancient Lives)-0
Type: Hardcover

BHD1710

Price includes VAT & Import Duties
Availability: In Stock

Quantity:

|

Order today to get by 7-14 business days

Delivery fee of BHD 2. Free for orders above BHD 20.

Returns & Warranty policies

Imported From: United States

At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.

Every product in the BOLO catalogue is sourced through our Verified Global Supply Network of verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.

Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.

If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.

Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.

While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.

Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.

BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of Bahrain. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the Bahrain will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in Bahrain are listed on our website.

All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.

All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.

Description:

A biography of Horace, one of the most popular poets from antiquity, revealing the little-known man behind his famous lines
 
Peter Stothard is a master of modern writing about ancient Rome, of vividly bringing to life its poetry and its poets.”—Mary Beard
 
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65–8 BCE) wrote some of ancient Rome’s greatest poetry, melding languages and cultures with youthful ideals and a realist’s recognition of the dictatorial world around him. Horace is famed for his fine phrases, lyric sex, and guidance on how to live, but he was a poet maddened by war, and many of his most self-revealing poems have rarely been read. He could be sublime and obscene, amusing and abusive, a model of moderation and anything but.
 
In this book, the first modern retelling of Horace’s life, Peter Stothard follows the poet from his birth as the son of a formerly enslaved father through his rise to the highest circles of Roman society. He shines a light on how shattering experiences in the war to save Rome’s republic shaped the loyal servant and revolutionary artist he became. With astute scholarship and sympathy, Stothard follows Horace’s rise from humble beginnings to the social and political heights of the autocracy he had fought to prevent.


Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A] gory, gripping story of an ex-slave’s son who became a war poet in the twilight of the Roman Republic and a courtier in the empire of Augustus.”—Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal

“Stothard knows his source material backwards—and has fun with it.”—Rachel Cunliffe,
Times (UK)

“Vibrant and enthralling . . . [and] relevant today. . . . A compelling portrait of a man and his times that will entrance.”—Jim Kelly,
Air Mail

“Vivid, informative and probing.”—William Fitzgerald,
Times Literary Supplement

“[Stothard’s] books are so intensely enjoyable, so invigoratingly smart. . . . So it is with this new book. . . . [A] remarkably energetic work, with two standout bits of excellence. The first of these is Stothard’s running commentary on the poems themselves, which tends to make Horace’s artistic development as gripping as if readers were watching it happen in real time. . . . And the second bit of excellence: 30 pages of close-typed Source Notes that veritably sing with erudition and zest.”—Steve Donoghue,
Open Letters Review

“Beautifully-written. . . . Stothard writes so compellingly that you feel you are never more than a few feet away from the poet in all his lardy splendour.”—Daisy Dunn,
Spectator

“Stothard has written a splendid and fascinating book that will surely have us rereading it time and again. No body interested in late republican and early imperial Rome should miss it.”—Allan Massie,
Literary Review

“A pert, canny, and enchanting biography.”―New Criterion



“In an always lucid, evenly flowing prose, Stothard sets out Horace’s family background, corrects mistaken notions about him, and connects his life and career to the major events and players of his day. . . . [Horace] was in his poetry able to establish a winning intimacy between himself and his readers that traveled down through the centuries.”—Joseph Epstein,
National Review

“[Stothard] manages with fine economy and immensely readable sentences to integrate life and times (and what times) in a most compelling narrative.”―Cultag Press Blog



“Among the valuable takeaways from
Horace: we do ourselves no favor by censoring the past—we need to perceive it in its full, horrifying context. But that does not mean its artists should be condemned, especially those, like Horace, who advocated seizing on the immediate with existential zest.”—Thomas Filbin, Arts Fuse

“Perhaps the greatest strength of this biography is Stothard’s close reading of Horace’s work, including both the Latin (for the nerdier connoisseurs) and his translations (for the benefit of all readers). Words matter, and for a poet who took much time choosing each one carefully, words matter even more than for most. I have a greater appreciation for Horace as both a poet and a thinker after reading this biography.”—Nadya Williams,
University Bookman

“Enviably graceful and erudite. . . . [Stothard] opens up Horace’s poetry for new and experienced readers alike.”—Spencer A. Klavan,
Claremont Review of Books

“Dazzling. . . . An elegantly written biography of a famous, but still little-known, man.”—Joan Baum,
Baum on Books, WSHU Public Radio

“Peter Stothard is a master of modern writing about ancient Rome, of vividly bringing to life its poetry and its poets.”—Mary Beard

“A fascinating biography of an extraordinary life. Sexual abuse and the madness of war beyond the better-known moral lectures, wine, and rose petals. A brilliant and compelling study that brings Horace to life for a new generation.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of
The World: A Family History of Humanity

“In this lively biography of Horace and his times, Stothard shows how a poet is not only born, but made. From humble beginnings (the son of a slave), through education, application, and luck, even after finding himself on the losing side of a civil war, Horace finds himself rubbing shoulders with Rome’s elite. Stothard wears his considerable learning with gossamer lightness, keeping a weather eye on the poems (there is something here for the Latinist as well as the layman) even as he tells Horace’s story. Coming of age in an uncertain era of strong men jostling for dominance, as dreams of restoring the Republic faded and the world order was upended, Horace is a poet not only for all time, but for our times. Should poets be speaking truth, albeit slant, to autocratic power, or distract themselves with love, friendship and song? In Horace’s modern poems, technical feats of meter and mosaics of word order, he shows the way of the Roman road, ‘straight where it can be, sinuous where it has to be.’ No one knows what’s coming. Seize the moment.”—A. E. Stallings, author of
Frieze Frame

About the Author

Peter Stothard is a classicist, journalist, and critic. He is a former editor of The Times of London and of the Times Literary Supplement. His books include The Last Assassin: The Hunt for the Killers of Julius CaesarCrassus: The First Tycoon; and Palatine: An Alternative History of the Caesars.

Details: