Sidonius Apollinaris' fifth-century Letters are a highpoint of Latin literature. They are also a unique document from the end of the Western Roman Empire on the brink of the Middle Ages. They have a direct appeal to modern readers for the struggle between tradition and innovation, dominant and immigrant culture, and shifting balances of power. This book is the first selection from Sidonius' correspondence that goes beyond the anecdotal to reveal its depth and coherence. It applies insights brought to light by research on Sidonius in the last half-century, as well as by functional grammar, text linguistics and narratology. Based on an updated Latin text and attentive to intertextuality throughout, it introduces a number of interpretative innovations. With an Introduction and detailed Commentary providing help down to the level of individual words, it caters for the needs of students and instructors, while also offering much to scholars.

Joop van Waarden is Research Fellow in Latin at the Radboud University Nijmegen. He specializes in late antique Gaul, and Sidonius Apollinaris in particular. He has published a two-volume commentary on the seventh book of Sidonius' correspondence, Writing to Survive (2010, 2016). He has been co-investigator with Gavin Kelly in the Leverhulme-funded 'Sidonius Apollinaris for the 21st Century' project (2014–17) and is co-editor of the multi-author volumes New Approaches to Sidonius Apollinaris (2013) and The Edinburgh Companion to Sidonius Apollinaris (2020). He also maintains the dedicated website http://sidonapol.org/.