Roman Letter Writers - Famous Authors of Classical Latin Epistle Collections
 Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, by Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier (c. 16th century, Blaffer Foundation Collection, Houston, TX).) Oil on canvas | ||
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Epistula is the Latin for 'letter', as you may already know from the English word 'Epistles'.
The tradition of Latin epistolary writing is a valuable resource for people trying to get a feel for the way of life and daily concerns of ancient Romans. Some letter writers delivered advice, presumably solicited at least at times, and asked for guidance. They might offer advice on how to live a better life.
Complaint was also popular. Mundane letters -- beyond the scope of this list -- reveal details about property disputes and other such economic and familial minutiae.Qui amicus est, amat; qui amat non utique amicus est. Itaque amicitia semper prodest, amor etiam aliquando nocet.
"He who is your friend loves you, but he who loves you is not always your friend. Thus friendshp always benefits, but love sometimes injures."
Epistulae XXXV.1 (Seneca Quotations)
Surviving letters were written on tablets, papyrus and ostraca. Epistolary Latin is also valuable for providing a link between the formal language of literary prose and poetry, on the one hand, and the language of the people, known as Vulgar Latin (where vulgar simply means 'the crowd') and the romance languages, on the other: Letter writers often used a more relaxed style, thought to resemble conversational speech.
Even though we use the letters to fill in background information, there are certain caveats to bear in mind when reading them. Although generally less formal, some letters never formed a part of a real correspondence; nor were they so intended. Some letters were gathered together by the author for the purpose of publication. Letters could be written in verse as well as in more straight-forward prose. For more information on Epistolary Latin, see Companion to the Latin Language by James Clackson; Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. For formal or formulaic components of the epistles, see "Greek and Latin Epistolary Formulae: Some Light on Cicero's Letter Writing," by Hannah M. Cotton; The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 105, No. 4 (Winter, 1984), pp. 409-425. There is also a 2010 book on Cicero's letters that might interest you, as it does me, based on this review: "Review Cicero in Letters: Epistolary Relations of the Late Republic, by Peter White;" Review by: Eleanor Brooke; Phoenix, Vol. 66, No. 1/2 (Spring-Summer/printemps-été 2012), pp. 201-203.
Epistles as CorrespondenceAlthough you will find Marcus Cornelius Fronto (c. 100-170), the teacher of the famous Stoic philosopher/emperor, Marcus Aurelius, on Wiley-Blackwell's list of top three most valuable writers of real correspondence from ancient Rome, you are not likely to dwell on him in a traditional survey of Latin literature class, so he is not included below. The other two letter writers on the Wiley-Blackwell list are Cicero, especially because of the quantity he produced, followed by Pliny. (There are three other (literary) letter writers on the list below: the philosopher playwright Seneca, and the poets Ovid and Horace.) |
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Cicero |
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 Cicero. Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Digital ID: 1213908 © NYPL Digital Gallery |
Cicero's letters are divided into two main groups; to Atticus (ad Atticum) and to his friends and politicians (ad Familiares). There is an online Gutenberg English translation by Evelyn S. Shuckburgh: The Letters of Cicero: The Whole Extant Correspondence in Chronological Order. |
Pliny the Younger |
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 Pliny the Younger. Location: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Digital ID: 1813774. © NYPL Digital Gallery |
In Book ten of his letters, Pliny the Younger published a correspondence he had with the Emperor Trajan. The other books of letters include correspondences with the historian Tacitus, among other people. Short bio of Pliny the Younger (English) |
Epistles as Literary LettersAlthough part of the epistolary tradition, remember that the letters were crafted as literature rather than jotted notes to a friend. |
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Ovid |
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 Ovid. Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Digital ID: 1806136 © NYPL Digital Gallery |
Ovid's contribution to the genre comes from the time he spent relegated to the Black Sea, in Tomis (ancient Thrace; modern Romania). They are actually four books of elegiac poems complaining and vainly asking for reprieve. His letters are named for this location, Epistulae ex Ponto [and translated into English.] |
Horace |
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 Horace. Stephen A. Schwarzman Building / Print Collection, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Digital ID: 1262785 © NYPL Digital Gallery |
Horace used the letter form for some of his satirical writing. These were hexameter poems in conversational style. |
Seneca |
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 Bust portrait of Seneca. Image ID: 1563387. Kilian, Bartholomäus, 1630-1696 -- Engraver. Joachim von Sandrart, 1606-1688 -- Artist. © NYPL Digital Gallery |
Seneca's letters are the Epistulae morales ad Lucilium. Lucilius appears to have been a real official, but is otherwise unknown. |
