Sidonio Apollinare: Epitalamio per Ruricio e Iberia

Sidonius Apollinaris, a Gallo-Roman aristocrat and gifted poet, composed an epithalamium in the mid-fifth century AD to celebrate the marriage of his noble friends, Ruricius and Hiberia. Sidonius would later become the bishop of Clermont-Ferrand, and Ruricius the bishop of Limoges. The poem (c. 11) and its preface (c. 10), in keeping with the profane models of Statius and Claudian, depict a world in which the preponderance of myth helps to keep reality from the forefront, and the sophisticated resources of a refined poet attempt to revive the formal perfection of Roman classics and values.
This volume provides a general introduction, a critical text with Italian translation, a detailed commentary of the poem and preface, and a summary in English. Stefania Filosini demonstrates Sidonius's important contribution to the literary tradition of Late Latin epithalamia, illustrates the poet's techniques, deals with numerous exegetic problems in both of the texts, and proposes new solutions to some of them.
Stefania Filosini holds a degree in Classical Languages and Literatures as well as a PhD in 'Civiltà e tradizione greca e romana'. Her research focuses on late Latin poety. She is the author of a commentary on Paulinus of Nola's poems 10 and 11.