A collection of articles representing some of the finest writing on Horace's satires (Sermones) and epistles (Epistulae) over the past fifty years. Several have previously only been accessible in specialist journals, while five appear here for the first time in English translation.

The satires explored in this volume are some of the trickiest poems of ancient Rome's trickiest poet. Horace was an ironist, sneaky smart, and prone to hiding things under the surface. His Latin is dense and difficult. The challenges posed by these satires are especially acute because their voices, messages, and stylistic habits are many, and their themes range from the poet's anxieties about the limits of satiric free speech in the first poem to the ridiculous excesses of an outrageously overdone dinner party in the last. For students working at intermediate and advanced levels of Latin, this book makes the satires of Horace's second book of Sermones readable by explaining difficult issues of grammar, syntax, word-choice, genre, period, and style. For scholars who already know these poems well, it offers fresh insights into what satire is, and how these poems communicate as uniquely 'Horatian' expressions of the genre.

This volume fulfills the need for a student edition of Horace's literary epistles, which have recently been the subject of renewed scholarly interest. Professor Rudd provides a clear introduction to each of the three poems: the Epistles to Augustus, to Florus, and to the Pisones (the so-called "Ars Poetica"). He sketches the historical context in which the poems were written and comments on their structure and purpose. He also discusses their literary preoccupations: the relations of poet and patron and the role of poetry in the state (Augustus), the problems of a professedly tiring poet (Florus), and the presentation of classical poetic theory ("Ars Poetica"). He notes Horace's influence on later criticism, drawing attention in one section to one of Alexander Pope's Imitations. He also addresses problems of grammar and style, focusing on linguistic difficulties and the subtle movement of the poet's thought.

Originally published in 1888, this book contains the Latin text of the first book of Horace's Epistulae. Distinguished classicist Shuckburgh includes a biography of the poet and commentaries on each of the 20 poems in the book, as well as a brief synopsis of each letter. This book will be of value to anyone interested in Horace or in Augustan poetry more generally.