Epigrams vs Silvae: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Latin Occasional verse, Latin language materials, Poetry
Epigrams
It was to celebrate the opening of the Roman Colosseum in A.D. 80 that Martial published his first book of poems, "On the Spectacles." Written with satiric wit and a talent for the memorable phrase, the poems in this…
vs
Silvae
Statius' Silvae, thirty-two occasional poems, were written probably between 89 and 96 AD. Here the poet congratulates friends, consoles mourners, sends thanks, admires a memorable scene. The verse is light in touch,…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Silvae is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for Epigrams.
- Epigrams has the widest readership — 988 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Epigrams | Silvae | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (988) | 3.8 (50) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (4) | 3.5 (1) |
Reception
| Epigrams | Silvae | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 988 | 50 |
| Editions | 46 | 36 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1852 | 109 |
| Reading it now | 64 | 3 |
| Written reviews | 87 | 7 |
| Wikipedia attention | 8196 | 423 |
| Pages | 411 | 217 |