Horace: Beyond the Public Poetry

Horace's career as a public poet, as a client of Maecenas and as a spokesaman for the Augustan Age, is examined in this book. By putting Horace in his historical context and examining his life, the author tries to illuminate the motivations and stresses which shaped his poetry. Far from being glib propaganda, argues Lyne, much of Horace's work reveals barely veiled resentment at the public, moral role his position forced him to adopt. A subtle study of the man behind the masks which sheds new light on this fascinating poet.