In existographies, Frank O. Copley (1907-1993) was an American Latin scholar noted for his 1977 English introduction to and translation of Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things. [1]
Overview
Copley’s special interests included the Roman poet Catullus and Latin elegiac poetry. His translations of Virgil’s The Aeneid, Cicero’s On Old Age and On Friendship and Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things, among many others, made the classics accessible to the public. [2]
Education
Copley completed his BA at Stanford in 1930, his MA at Harvard in 1931, then studied at the University of Goettingen, Germany, before returning to Stanford where he completed his PhD in 1935. [2] He was a professor at the University of Michigan from 1934 until his retirement in 1977.
Quotes
The following are related quotes:
“The Epicureans were neither determinists nor atheists, although they were commonly accused of being both.”
— Frank Copley (1977), “Introduction” to On the Nature of Things (pg. xv)
References
1. Copley, Frank O. (1977). “Introduction”, in: Lucretius: On the Nature of Things (§1:vii-xx, pg. vii). W.W. Norton, 2011.
2. Anon. (1993). “Obituary: Frank Copley” (ΡΊ), The University Record, University of Michigan, Feb 15.
