Overview

A wise and witty revival of the Roman poet who taught us how to carpe diem What is the value of the durable at a time when the new is paramount? How do we fill the void created by the excesses of a superficial society? What resources can we muster when confronted by the inevitability of death? For the poet and critic Harry Eyres, we can begin to answer these questions by turning to an unexpected source: the Roman poet Horace, discredited at the beginning of the twentieth century as the smug representative of imperialism, now best remembered--if remembered--for the pithy directive Carpe diem. In Horace and Me: Life Lessons from an Ancient Poet, Eyres reexamines Horace's life, legacy, and verse. With a light, lyrical touch (deployed in new, fresh versions of some of Horace's most famous odes) and a keen critical eye, Eyres reveals a lively, relevant Horace, whose society--Rome at the dawn of the empire--is much more similar to our own than we might want to believe. Eyres's study is not only intriguing--he retranslates Horace's most famous phrase as taste the day --but enlivening. Through Horace, Eyres meditates on how to live well, mounts a convincing case for the importance of poetry, and relates a moving tale of personal discovery. By the end of this remarkable journey, the reader too will believe in the power of Horace's lovely words that go on shining with their modest glow, like a warm and inextinguishable candle in the darkness.

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9780374172749

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<p>Praise for Horace and Me <p> Mr. Eyres writes with insight about why Horace first left him cold, then with intense feeling about all he has gained from the odes in recent years . . . [A] love of small experiences, closely observed, is what most binds Mr. Eyres to Horace. The ode he treasures most highly, and quotes as the book's epigram, celebrates a cooling spring called Bandusia that filled a small pool on Horace's farm. Such gem-like appreciations of the intimate, the local and the natural show Mr. Eyres the path toward his goal of 'being a human being, in the fullest sense'--the path that also led him to become a poet . . . Readers of Horace and Me will . . . no doubt enjoy the cool drinks that Mr. Eyres scoops up from that rustic Bandusian spring. --James Romm, The Wall Street Journal <br> In this beguiling book [Eyres] describes how . . . he came back to Horace, and to himself . . . With the lightest of touches Mr. Eyres sketches his own life and examines that of Horace . . . As Mr. Eyres began to ponder questions of existence, the excesses of a superficial society, the problem of how to live well and the inevitability of death, he came to realise that even after 2,000 years, Horace, his old nemesis, can provide some answers . . . Mr. Eyres begins and ends his book in the departure lounge of an airport. His companion is his small, battered edition of the Odes. In one of them Horace made the outrageous claim that they were time-prof. This delightful book demonstrates that he was right. Hopefully, its seductive interweaving of a modern life and an ancient one will encourage a wider readership of this most appealing of Latin writers. -- The Economist <p> [Eyres and Horace] are almost perfect companions. Both are funny and like complaining. Both feel deeply but also exhibit a degree of what people now call commitment-phobia. Both have a faintly neurotic taste for ease, yet you could not call them quietists: they flare up angrily at stupidity, cruel

<p>Praise for Horace and Me <p> <p> Mr. Eyres writes with insight about why Horace first left him cold, then with intense feeling about all he has gained from the odes in recent years . . . [A] love of small experiences, closely observed, is what most binds Mr. Eyres to Horace. The ode he treasures most highly, and quotes as the book's epigram, celebrates a cooling spring called Bandusia that filled a small pool on Horace's farm. Such gem-like appreciations of the intimate, the local and the natural show Mr. Eyres the path toward his goal of 'being a human being, in the fullest sense'--the path that also led him to become a poet . . . Readers of Horace and Me will . . . no doubt enjoy the cool drinks that Mr. Eyres scoops up from that rustic Bandusian spring. --James Romm, The Wall Street Journal <br> In this beguiling book [Eyres] describes how . . . he came back to Horace, and to himself . . . With the lightest of touches Mr. Eyres sketches his own life and examines that of Horace . . . As Mr. Eyres began to ponder questions of existence, the excesses of a superficial society, the problem of how to live well and the inevitability of death, he came to realise that even after 2,000 years, Horace, his old nemesis, can provide some answers . . . Mr. Eyres begins and ends his book in the departure lounge of an airport. His companion is his small, battered edition of the Odes. In one of them Horace made the outrageous claim that they were time-prof. This delightful book demonstrates that he was right. Hopefully, its seductive interweaving of a modern life and an ancient one will encourage a wider readership of this most appealing of Latin writers. -- The Economist <p> [An] amiable memoir-cum-treatise . . . Eyres displays a beautiful, serene understanding of the nuances of Horace and of life . . . This is an empathetic treatment of both a poet and a life. And it makes the reader want to pluck down a copy of Horace from the shelves, and savour its delight

Praise for Horace and Me Mr. Eyres writes with insight about why Horace first left him cold, then with intense feeling about all he has gained from the odes in recent years . . . [A] love of small experiences, closely observed, is what most binds Mr. Eyres to Horace. The ode he treasures most highly, and quotes as the book's epigram, celebrates a cooling spring called Bandusia that filled a small pool on Horace's farm. Such gem-like appreciations of the intimate, the local and the natural show Mr. Eyres the path toward his goal of 'being a human being, in the fullest sense'--the path that also led him to become a poet . . . Readers of Horace and Me will . . . no doubt enjoy the cool drinks that Mr. Eyres scoops up from that rustic Bandusian spring. --James Romm, The Wall Street Journal In this beguiling book [Eyres] describes how . . . he came back to Horace, and to himself . . . With the lightest of touches Mr. Eyres sketches his own life and examines that of Horace . . . As Mr. Eyres began to ponder questions of existence, the excesses of a superficial society, the problem of how to live well and the inevitability of death, he came to realise that even after 2,000 years, Horace, his old nemesis, can provide some answers . . . Mr. Eyres begins and ends his book in the departure lounge of an airport. His companion is his small, battered edition of the Odes. In one of them Horace made the outrageous claim that they were time-prof. This delightful book demonstrates that he was right. Hopefully, its seductive interweaving of a modern life and an ancient one will encourage a wider readership of this most appealing of Latin writers. -- The Economist Harry Eyres's brilliant new book Horace and Me . . . is part biography of Horace, part autobiography of Eyres, part literary criticism, part travel (and wine) guide, part philosophical musing--but all is poetry. The writing is poetic and musical in every phrase and its inner message is p

Author Information

Harry Eyres has become one of the most eloquent representatives of the worldwide Slow Movement. Having worked for leading newspapers and magazines as a wine writer, theater critic, and poetry editor, he created the international Slow Lane column in the Financial Times in 2004. Slow Lane encourages and facilitates thoughtful enjoyment of the profound, and often uncostly and unmonetized, pleasures and values that make life worth living. Eyres is the author of the poetry collection Hotel Eliseo, Plato's The Republic : A Beginner's Guide, and several books on wine.

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