Living With A Dead Language: My Romance with Latin

An inspiring exploration of the richness and relevance of the Latin language and literature, and finding renewed purpose through learning something new and challenging.

After thirty-five years as a book editor in New York City, Ann Patty moved to the country. Bored and aimless, she decided to challenge her word-loving brain by studying Latin. Her studies open unexpected windows- Catullus’s poetry calls up her early days in the city, while Lucretius elucidates her attraction to Buddhism. Ovid’s verse evokes her rural surroundings, and women in Roman history give her new empathy for her long-deceased mother. Finally, Virgil reconciles Patty to her new life as a rustic scholar, writer, and teacher. Written with humor, heart, and an infectious enthusiasm for words, Patty’s book is an object lesson in how learning and literature can transform the past and lead to an unexpected future.