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Martial

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Poet

The Resume

    (circa 40-circa 103)
    Born in Calatayud, Spain
    Full name was Marcus Valerius Martialis
    Best known for writing twelve books of epigrams
    Notable epigrams:
    ’Live for today – tomorrow is too late’
    ’Glory paid to ashes comes too late’
    ’Conceal a flaw and the world will imagine the worst’

Why he might be annoying:

    Little is known about his life.
    He shamelessly sucked up to Emperors Titus and Domitian.
    He accepted gifts and dinner invitations from wealthy Romans who wanted to be portrayed in his poems in a flattering light. (Or, at a minimum, to not be insulted in them.)
    He went out of fashion during the Romantic period, when his poems were denounced as vulgar. (With Lord Byron, for example, writing, ‘What proper person can be partial/To all those nauseous epigrams of Martial?’)

Why he might not be annoying:

    He has been described as the creator of the modern epigram.
    He satirized Roman life and the scandalous behavior of his acquaintances.
    His quote ‘The hours pass by and are put to our account’ was a popular inscription on sundials.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying