Life, Love and Death in Latin Poetry

The title of our volume, specifically chosen to honour the author of Propertius:A Hellenistic Poet of Love and Death, covers areas of key importance in the study of Latin poetry. When that book was published in 1987, love and death were particularly prominent topics in the discussion of the Augustan Latin poets. 

In 1980 R.O.A.M. (Oliver) Lyne had produced his influential The Latin Love Poets on the love-elegists, focusing on the presentation of love-relationships, while in 1985 Jasper Griffin included a chapter on ‘Love and Death’ in his  important Latin Poets and Roman Life. Both Lyne and Griffin were concerned to stress the proximity of poetry to real life at Rome, Lyne in terms of emotional realism,