Catullus’ life was akin to pulp fiction. In Julius Caesar’s Rome, he engages in a stormy affair with a consul’s wife. He writes her passionate poems of love, hate, and jealousy. The consul, a vehement opponent of Caesar, dies under suspicious circumstances. The merry widow romances numerous young men. Catullus is drawn into politics and becomes a cocky critic of Caesar, writing poems that dub Julius a low-life pig and a pervert. Not surprisingly, soon after, no more is heard of Catullus.
    David Mulroy brings to life the witty, poignant, and brutally direct voice of a flesh-and-blood man, a young provincial in the Eternal City, reacting to real people and events in a Rome full of violent conflict among individuals marked by genius and megalomaniacal passions. Mulroy’s lively, rhythmic translations of the poems are enhanced by an introduction and commentary that provide biographical and bibliographical information about Catullus, a history of his times, a discussion of the translations, and definitions and notes that ease the way for anyone who is not a Latin scholar.

"James Hearst wrote eloquently of the land, its pleasures and sorrows, carefully turning the language as one of his farmer heroes turns the soil. Scott Cawelti and his colleagues have done us all a favor by assembling this fine collection, ensuring the onward resonance of Hearst's words and sensibilities."--Robert James Waller " 'Write about what you know!' was the only advice given by the shy published poet to the shy girl who walked from her college to his farm, having begun to discover what she knew by crafting poems. Surely James Hearst knew pain and loss in plenty, but once he had sworn never again to 'uncover [his] door' to this kind of 'rain,' the world pitchforked its bounties to him through every window available to a poet. The results run from the perfect early nature lyric, 'Blue Again,' to the moving and rich domestic wisdom of 'Close Call.' This book is a late, uneven harvest, but a fine one."--Mona Van Duyn, U.S. Poet Laureate, 1992-1993 Part of the regionalist movement that included Grant Wood, SCOTT CAWELTI is professor of English at the University of Northern Iowa. He is the author of The Inventive Writer and Introduction to College Writing. He also writes a weekly column for the Waterloo Courier and has been a commentator for National Public Radio. In keeping with the tradition of small regional presses and fine printers-especially Prairie Press, which published Hearst's poetry throughout his lifetime-this edition was designed in collaboration with the University of Iowa Center for the Book.