The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 14: Lives of the Poets

This collection assembles concise biographies of notable poets and other literary figures, outlining their backgrounds, major works, and reputations through anecdote and reported detail. Each life mixes biographical notice with literary assessment, cataloguing surviving compositions while recording celebrated episodes, personal vices, and accounts of death. The writer often draws on earlier authorities and conflicting traditions, presenting competing versions without technical commentary. The result is a compact portrait of authorship and reception in antiquity, alternating focus between artistic achievement and the private lives that shaped public memory.