Always coming after

In recent years there has been a massive resurgence of interest in the Latin epic poets writing in the late first century AD. Lucan’s Civil War , Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica , Statius’ Thebaid and Achilleid and Silius Italicus’ Punica were very little read in the early twentieth century. They formed a little known corner of literary history, a chamber of horrors both literal and poetic, the definition of ‘bad poetry’. This estimation, however, has not always held sway: Claudian greatly admired Statius; Dante made him an important character in the Divine Comedy ; the Thebaid was translated into medieval Irish; the rediscovery of Silius in the fifteenth century caused great excitement among Renaissance humanists; Lucan inspired radical poets down the ages. More information on the conference.