The Vergilian Society mourns the loss of Professor Michael C. J. Putnam, who passed away on August 19, 2025, at the age of 91 at his summer home, in Maine. Michael was a Life Member and a steadfast supporter of our organization. He served on the Board of Trustees (2013–2016), on the Editorial Board of Vergilius, and was the recipient of the Alexander McKay Prize in 2009. His passing leaves an irreplaceable void in our community and in the field of classical studies.

Few scholars have done more to illuminate Virgil’s poetry and its reception than Michael Putnam. His work fundamentally reshaped the study of Latin literature, combining rigorous philology with sensitive literary interpretation. His first book, The Poetry of the Aeneid (1965), revolutionized Vergilian studies by revealing the epic’s deep ambivalence toward its own ideological message. His subsequent monograph, Virgil’s Pastoral Art: Studies in the Eclogues (1970), won the American Philological Association’s Charles J. Goodwin Award of Merit. From that point forward, Michael’s voice shaped scholarship on Vergil, Horace, Tibullus, Catullus, Statius, and many others, producing some of the most nuanced readings of Roman poetry available to us today. His prolific output includes monographs, commentaries, translations, collections, and compendia, among them Tibullus: A Commentary (1973), Virgil’s Poem of the Earth (1979), Virgil’s Epic Designs: Ekphrasis in the Aeneid (1998), The Vergilian Tradition: The First Fifteen Hundred Years (with Jan Ziolkowski, 2008), Jacopo Sannazaro: The Latin Poetry (2009), The Humanness of Heroes: Studies in the Conclusion of Virgil’s Aeneid (2011), The Complete Poems of Tibullus (with Rodney Dennis, 2012), and most recently The Poetic World of Statius’ Silvae (with Antony Augoustakis and Carole Newlands, 2023). In addition, he authored countless articles and reviews whose influence has been deep and enduring.

Michael was Duncan MacMillan II Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature at Brown University, where he taught for forty-eight years. Generations of undergraduate and graduate students came to appreciate Latin literature thanks to his extraordinary ability to draw meaning from the text and to show its artistic and human depth. His classes at Brown were legendary: rigorous, inspiring, and unforgettable. His teaching legacy also extended far beyond Providence, as he lectured around the world, inaugurating the Amsterdam Virgil Lectures in 2009, the Townsend Lectures at Cornell (1985), and the Martin Classical Lectures at Oberlin, among many others.

Throughout his career, Michael served the profession in a remarkable range of capacities. He was Acting Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for Hellenic Studies; a Rome Prize Fellow, Resident, and Mellon Professor in Charge of the Classical School at the American Academy in Rome; President of the American Philological Association (1972); and later Trustee and Life Trustee of the American Academy in Rome, which honored him with both its Centennial Medal (2009) and Trustees’ Medal (2010). His distinctions included membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and Italy’s Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana, which awarded him its first Medaglia alla Carriera in 2024. He also received the APA’s Distinguished Service Award (2013), fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, ACLS, and NEH, and was a member at the Institute for Advanced Study and a Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholar.

Beyond the world of classics, Michael gave generously of his time and energy. He was Sole Trustee of the Lowell Observatory (1967–1987), a member of the Selections Committee of the Fogg Museum of Art at Harvard for nearly thirty years, and a Trustee of Bay Chamber Concerts for three decades. An accomplished pianist, an avid swimmer, and a lover of art and literature in all forms, Michael lived life to the fullest. His friends and colleagues remember him for his wisdom and kindness, but also for his humor, mischief, and remarkable gift for storytelling.

Michael was predeceased by his partner of more than five decades, Kenneth Gaulin. He is survived by his loving family, including his sister, Mrs. Mary (Polly) Chatfield, and numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Born September 20^th, 1933, he was educated at Harvard University (A.B. and Ph.D.) before beginning his long career at Brown.

The Vergilian Society has lost a treasured colleague and friend, and we join his countless students, colleagues, and friends across the world in mourning his passing and celebrating his life, scholarship, and legacy.

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Symposium Cumanum 2025

Vergil and the Greeks

June 24 – 28, 2025

Symposium Vesuvianum 2025

Verses from a Campanian Tomb? Vergil and Silius Italicus’ Punica

Oct. 8-11, 2025

Proposals of 500 words should by submitted by February 1, 2025 to Clayton Schroer for full consideration.

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We will consider a proposal on any theme, although preference may be given to a subject that has not been treated recently. Descriptions of previous symposia can be found on the Vergilian Society website under the Symposia tab.

Each proposal should be prepared by the person who is intending to direct the symposium, or by the lead person if co-directors are envisioned.  The successful director will have logistical assistance from the Vergilian Society’s Italian staff and from the executive committee; a set of guidelines is available to assist in planning.

Guidelines on a successful Symposium

Proposals should be 250-300 words in length, giving a brief rationale for the theme, some thoughts on what kinds of subjects are likely to be treated, and the names of several scholars who have worked on this theme and might be approached to participate.  As international meetings, our symposia attract participants from all over the world, but since the Vergilian Society is an Italian-American cultural association, we are especially interested in seeing solid participation from scholars in these two countries.

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JANUARY 2-5, 2025
PHILADELPHIA

Topic: Re-evaluating Turnus

Organized by Randall Ganiban, Department of Classics, Middlebury College

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25–29 June 2024, Villa Vergiliana, Italy

Co-Directors: Celia Campbell (Emory University), Bobby Xinyue (King’s College London).

Read the full description here.

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In addition, the Society announces the winner of the 2023 Rudolph Masciantonio Prize for Inclusive Excellence in Latin and Classical Humanities, Mr. Jimmy Li. Jimmy is a student of Brad Savage at Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia. You may read his application essay HERE.

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