The Satires of Juvenal, Persius, Sulpicia, and Lucilius

Gaius Lucilius

A pioneering Roman satirist from the 2nd century BCE, he helped shape satire into a sharp, personal, and distinctly literary form. Though his work survives only in fragments, his influence on later Latin writers was lasting.

Persius

Best known for six sharp, compact satires, this first-century Roman poet turned moral criticism into something intense, witty, and surprisingly personal. His work is small in volume but has lasted for centuries because of its biting style and Stoic edge.

Sulpicia

One of the very few women whose poetry survives from ancient Rome, this Latin poet is known for six short, vivid love elegies from the late first century BCE. Her voice feels unusually direct and personal, which helps her poems stand out even in a small surviving body of work.