Suetonius’
De uiris illustribus(a title given to the work by common agreement among critics, since the exact title, along with the exact content, of the work is debated, for it is uncertain whether originally there were many
Virorum illustrium librior just one
Virorum illustrium liber) has survived only partially, and as such, reconstruction is possible only by conjecture. This is a book about the men who had distinguished themselves in Latin literature.
The book is known from quotations or allusions to it in the works of later authors. The dictionary Suidas offers a catalogue of works by Suetonius, perhaps only those that were available in Greek (Della Corte 1967). Suidas mentions as part of this catalogue a Στέμμα ‘Ρωμαίων ἀνδρῶν ἐπισήμων, which could
2104 words
Citation: Poignault, Remy. "De viris illustribus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 February 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13470, accessed 22 November 2024.]
