The shadows of poetry

by Sabine MacCormack

If the Latin Middle Ages can be characterized as one extended dialogue about themes derived from classical antiquity, then the encounter between Vergil (70-19 B.C.), the greatest Roman poet, and Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 356-430), teacher of rhetoric and Christian bishop, would aptly constitute the beginning of this intellectual and spiritual tradition. In The Shadows of Poetry, Sabine MacCormack skillfully captures the intellectual and religious encounter between Augustine and Vergil.