This fascinating study of one of the greatest poets of the Augustan age sheds new light on Horace's works, combining literary analysis with an investigation into the poet's social and political circumstances.

Lyne focuses on the poet's relations with his patron Maecenas, with the Emperor Augustus and with other grandees. Describing his background, the book considers how and why Horace came to rely on patronage, and looks at the nature of that patronage. It identifies the point at which Horace adopted the role of political poet and shows how he evolved a public poetry for his particular society.