Horace Satires: A Selection

Book excerpt: This is the endorsed publication from OCR and Bloomsbury for the Latin AS and A-Level (Group 3) prescription of Horace's Satires, giving full Latin text, commentary and vocabulary for Satires 1.1 lines 1–12, 28–100; 1.3 lines 25–75; and 2.2 lines 1–30, 70–111. A detailed introduction places the poems in their Roman literary context. 'Telling the truth with a smile' is the way Horace describes his approach to satire in this, his first published poetry. The poems in this collection discuss universal ideas of how we should live our lives simply with regard to money, ambition, food and friendship and how to live contented with what nature provides rather than always yearning for more. The poet does this in a manner which is light but not flippant, always entertaining and powerfully moving at the same time. Resources are available on the Companion Website www.bloomsbury.com/ocr-editions-2019-2021