Author: CATULLUS, Caius Valerius
Biography:
CATULLUS, Caius Valerius (c. 84-c. 54 BCE: OCD)
Catullus was born to a noble family in Verona, Italy, and went to Rome as a young man, perhaps with a view to a career in politics. He became, instead, “Rome’s first great lyric poet” (Grafton) and a member of a group of innovative young poets. His body of work is small, consisting mainly (but not entirely) of short poems and epigrams, with a total of 2300 lines. Most notable is the cycle of poems about “Lesbia,” a married woman who became his lover but was not faithful to him. Nothing is known of the circumstances of his death and the presumed death date is based on inference from the works, none of which refers to any public event later than 55 BCE. Of the English translators listed here, John Nott has a separate headnote but two others require brief identification. George Lamb (1784-1834), son of Elizabeth (Milbanke) Lamb and either her husband Peniston Lamb, Viscount Melbourne, or more probably the Prince of Wales, later George IV, was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, and then at Lincoln’s Inn, London. He was called to the bar in 1809 and practised law until 1821 when he gave it up in favour of literature and politics. His play Whistle for It was performed at Covent Garden in 1807; in 1815 he joined the management of Drury Lane. He was active as a Whig MP 1819-20 and 1822-34. He married Caroline St. Jules in 1809. The marriage was childless and Caroline had a very public affair in 1816-17 but the couple were reconciled and remained together until Lamb died on 4 Jan. 1834. George Francis Ottey (1793-1861), born in London, was educated at Oriel College, Oxford (matric. 1811, BA 1815, MA 1819), and became a clergyman. After various curacies he was appointed vicar of Isleham, Cambridgeshire (1848-55). He married Juliana Charlotte Monro in 1820 and they had at least three children, but she died in 1825 and he did not remarry. His only other publication was A Practical Essay on the Conversion of St. Paul (1829). He died at home at Hoddesdon, Braxbourne, Hertfordshire, on 13 Nov. 1861, leaving effects valued at under £1500. (OCD 8 May 2025; A. Grafton et al., The Classical Tradition [2010]; ancestry.com 8 May 2025; findmypast.com 8 May 2025; CCEd 8 May 2025; ODNB [Lamb] 8 May 2025) HJ
Other Names:
- Catullus