Quintus Horatius Flaccus (December 8, 65 BCE – November 27 , 8 BCE), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, is the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.
The rhetorician Quintillian regarded his Odes as almost the only Latin lyrics worth reading, justifying his estimate with the words: "He can be lofty sometimes, yet he is also full of charm and grace, versatile in his figures, and felicitously daring in his choice of words."
Horace also crafts elegant hexameter verses (Sermones and Epistles) and scurrilous iambic poetry (Epodes).
The hexameters are playful and yet serious works, leading the ancient satirist Persius to comment: "as his friend laughs, Horace slyly puts his finger on his every fault; once let in, he plays about the heartstrings".
Some of his iambic poetry, however, can seem wantonly repulsive to modern audiences.
His career coincides with Rome's momentous change from Republic to Empire.
An officer in the republican army that is crushed at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BCE, he is befriended by Octavian's right-hand man in civil affairs, Maecenas, and becomes something of a spokesman for the new regime.
For some commentators, his association with the regime is a delicate balance in which he maintains a strong measure of independence.
