“With translations that are both true to the intent of the original and entirely accessible to the modern reader, Zeiner-Carmichael has created an engaging survey of Roman epistolography, from the most practical of daily missives to highly refined literature.”
Jacqueline M. Carlon, University of Massachusetts Boston
“Both accessible and scholarly, Zeiner-Carmichael’s new and wide-ranging selection with its lively translations, running bibliographies and perceptive introduction constitutes an essential resource for all teachers and students of Greco-Roman letter-writing.”
Gill Knight, University of Reading
Roman Letters offers a diverse and rich selection of original translations of ancient Roman letters spanning from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE. The wide range of selections includes translations of prose and verse letters, letters sent and received, canonical epistolary authors such as Cicero, Ovid, Pliny the Younger, and less familiar texts including papyrus letters from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and wood leaf tablets from the Vindolanda fort in Britain. In addition, the volume contains representative New Testament letters and some illustrative excerpts from ancient epistolary theorists.
This unique range of authors and texts illustrates the breadth, depth and diversity of the epistolary genre; letters are arranged chronologically, grouped according to author or collection, and have been carefully selected to reflect various themes and topics, such as death and consolation, literary production, entertainment, dining, politics, and philosophy. A valuable introduction includes discussion of the letter as a genre, as well as the practical issues of letter-writing materials and letter delivery in the ancient world, and includes maps to help readers visualize the distance many letters traveled, and an index of authors and topics. An accompanying website offers additional, complementary letters.
From the Back Cover
Roman Letters offers a diverse and rich selection of original translations of ancient Roman letters spanning from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE. The wide range of selections includes translations of prose and verse letters, letters sent and received, canonical epistolary authors such as Cicero, Ovid, Pliny the Younger, and less familiar texts including papyrus letters from Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, and wood leaf tablets from the Vindolanda fort in Britain. In addition, the volume contains representative New Testament letters and some illustrative excerpts from ancient epistolary theorists.
This unique range of authors and texts illustrates the breadth, depth and diversity of the epistolary genre; letters are arranged chronologically, grouped according to author or collection, and have been carefully selected to reflect various themes and topics, such as death and consolation, literary production, entertainment, dining, politics, and philosophy. A valuable introduction includes discussion of the letter as a genre, as well as the practical issues of letter-writing materials and letter delivery in the ancient world, and includes maps to help readers visualize the distance many letters traveled, and an index of authors and topics. An accompanying website offers additional, complementary letters.
About the Author
Noelle K. Zeiner-Carmichael is Associate Professor of Classics at the College of Charleston, where she teaches courses in Latin, Greek, Roman culture, and literature in translation. She is the author of Nothing Ordinary Here: Statius as Creator of Distinction in the Silvae (2005).
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