Hello, my name is Dave Phillips, I'm 53 and have been studying Latin (and a little Greek) mostly on my own for about 30 years. My main interest has been classical and Medieval Latin poetry, with some prose thrown in now and then. My Better Half and I are currently studying Italian (we've visited Tuscany a few times in the past couple of years), and my Latin background has proven to be a great aid to learning the Italian language.
I started teaching myself Latin from a Latin Made Simple book, then I started private language studies with Dr. Richard Hebein at Bowling Green State University (USA). I studied Latin & Greek grammar and literature with Dr Hebein for two years, then I undertook a reading course based on Matthew Arnold's advice ("Read nothing but Greek & Latin for two years").
Over the years my readings have included all of Catullus as well as much of Horace, Propertius, Virgil, and many Medieval poets. Currently I'm reading the Divina Commedia, and as an adjunct study I'm dipping into De Vulgari Eloquio. I suppose it's fair to say that my literary interests have been primarily guided by the criticism of Ezra Pound (I read 18 books of the Iliad in the Greek with the assistance of a Latin ad verbum translation, thanks to a suggestion in one of EP's essays). Sadly the ad verbum translations have all but disappeared. Pound's Divus is available via one of the on-line auction houses for something like $300US. I found the Latin translation (of Homer) by Samuel Clark on the shelves at university libraries in Chicago and Los Angeles, though I doubt if they're still there (they are rare books after all). I think Valla's translation is on-line but it's in photocopy form and is barely readable.
I'm convinced that such translations can make all the difference between bogging down in the grammar and getting into the story, though of course they do assume a fairly decent ability with the Latin. I'm always on the lookout for a copy of a Greek/Latin edition of the Homeric epics, so please notify me if you know where I can find one.
I'm also interested in Latin translations of works from other cultures. I've discovered Latin texts of such items as the Tao Te Ching, Hindu religious texts, and of course the Arabic translations from the Greek philosophic and medical canon. Neo-Latin is another interest, particularly items such as the Latin poems by Rimbaud.
So, that's a little about me. My livelihood comes from music (I'm a professional guitarist) and from writing (I'm a Linux journalist and have authored a book on music software for Linux). Reading Latin is one my favorite activities, and I hope to learn more from the Textkit site.
