Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84 – 54? BC) was a Latin poet of the late Roman Republic who wrote in the neoteric style of poetry, which is about personal life rather than classical heroes. His surviving works are still read widely and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.

Catullus’s poems were widely appreciated by other poets. He greatly influenced Ovid, Horace, Virgil, and others. After his rediscovery in the Late Middle Ages, Catullus again found admirers. His explicit writing style has shocked many readers. Indeed, Catullus’s work was never canonical in schools, although his body of work is still frequently read from secondary school to graduate programs across the world, with his 64th poem often considered his greatest.