# Daisy Dunn

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**Daisy Florence Dunn** is an English author and [classicist](/source/Classics) who is known for making her specialty accessible to the public through radio and other media avenues.

## Early life and education

Daisy Dunn was born in London and attended [Ibstock Place School](/source/Ibstock_Place_School) in Southwest London and [The Lady Eleanor Holles School](/source/The_Lady_Eleanor_Holles_School) in Hampton on an academic scholarship.[1] She graduated in classics from [St Hilda's College, Oxford](/source/St_Hilda's_College,_Oxford) in 2009, and won a scholarship to study for an MA in the History of Art at the [Courtauld Institute](/source/Courtauld_Institute_of_Art), London, specialising in Titian, Venice and Renaissance Europe.[2][3] She was awarded a PhD from [University College London](/source/University_College_London) with a thesis exploring [ekphrasis](/source/Ekphrasis) in Greek and Latin poetry and sixteenth-century Italian painting.[4][5] She was long-listed in 2015 for the international £20,000 Notting Hill Editions Prize for the essay "An Unlikely Friendship".[6]

## Writing

In 2016 she published her first two books, a biography of the Latin love poet [Catullus](/source/Catullus) and a new translation of his poems.[7][8] The biography, entitled *Catullus' Bedspread*, received endorsements from [Boris Johnson](/source/Boris_Johnson), [Robert Harris](/source/Robert_Harris_(novelist)) and [Tom Holland](/source/Tom_Holland_(author)) and was described as a "superb portrait" in *[The Sunday Times](/source/The_Sunday_Times).*[9] Dunn's translation of one of Catullus' expletives resulted in a series of letters in *[The Times Literary Supplement](/source/The_Times_Literary_Supplement)* and an article in *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*.[10][11] In a 2016 article in *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)* [Simon Schama](/source/Simon_Schama) included Dunn in his list of leading female historians.[12]

Dunn's 2019 dual biography of [Pliny the Elder](/source/Pliny_the_Elder) and [Pliny the Younger](/source/Pliny_the_Younger), *In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny*, published as *The Shadow of Vesuvius* in the US, was a *[New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* Editor's Choice, a [Waterstones](/source/Waterstones) Best History Book of 2019, and a Book of the Year in several publications. Dunn was interviewed ahead of its release by *The Sunday Times.*[13]

Also in 2019, Dunn published an anthology of ancient stories in English translation, *Of Gods and Men: 100 Stories from Ancient Greece and Rome*, for which she was interviewed by [Paul Ross](/source/Paul_Ross) on [TalkRadio](/source/Talkradio).[14][15] A month later, she released *Homer*, part of a new "expert" series of [Ladybird books](/source/Ladybird_Books).

In 2020, Dunn was awarded the [Classical Association](/source/Classical_Association) Prize,[16] which recognises efforts to bring the classics to public attention.[17]

Dunn's sixth book, *Not Far From Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars*, a group biography of the classicists [Maurice Bowra](/source/Maurice_Bowra), [E. R. Dodds](/source/E._R._Dodds) and [Gilbert Murray](/source/Gilbert_Murray), was published in March 2022. In *The Times*, Laura Freeman wrote of Dunn's "gift for making the arcane accessible and the forbidding more friendly" and the book as being "a love letter to learning".[18] It was described by Leo Robson in the *[New Statesman](/source/New_Statesman)* as "Lucid, agile, juicy, nuanced".[19] It was listed as a book of the year by Waterstones,[20] *The Independent*, and *The Daily Telegraph,* and longlisted for the [Runciman Award](/source/Runciman_Award).[citation needed]

In 2024, Dunn published *The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World through the Women who Shaped It*, a *[New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)* best book of the year.[21] Lyta Gold for the *New York Times* noted that Dunn illuminated familiar stories like those of Caesar and Cato or Caesar and Brutus, by centering women like [Servilia](/source/Servilia_(mother_of_Brutus)), who was Caesar's long-term girlfriend, Cato's half sister and Brutus's mother.[22] The book was also longlisted for the Runciman Award.

## Journalism and broadcasting

Dunn is radio and podcast critic of *[The Spectator](/source/The_Spectator)*, as of 2020, and a commentator, critic and columnist for *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph), [The Sunday Times](/source/The_Sunday_Times)* and *[Literary Review](/source/Literary_Review)*, among other publications.

She is a regular contributor to [BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4), particularly the [Today Programme](/source/Today_Programme), the [BBC World Service](/source/BBC_World_Service), TalkRadio, Times Radio, BBC.com (Culture)[23] and BBC 2, for which she participated in the 2016 [Christmas University Challenge](/source/Christmas_University_Challenge) for notable alumni, with her team winning the series. In 2018 and 2019 she presented two short films on Ancient Wisdom for BBC Ideas.[24] Dunn's other television credits include *Queens of Combat* (PBS, 2025),[25] a documentary on ancient Rome's female gladiators, *Troy Story* (Sky History, 2025),[26] on excavations at the site of the ancient city, and Rome: Rise and Fall of a Dynasty (Channel 5, 2024).

Dunn presents documentaries and podcasts for [Dan Snow](/source/Dan_Snow)'s media network History Hit.[27]

## Young Leaders programme

In 2024 Dunn was elected to the inaugural UK-Italy Young Leaders' Programme, established by a memorandum signed by the British and Italian prime ministers.[28]

## Works

- *Catullus' Bedspread: The Life of Rome's Most Erotic Poet* (HarperCollins/Harper Press, 2016) (UK Hardback ISBN 978-0007554331 and US Hardback ISBN 978-0062317025)
- *The Poems of Catullus: A New Translation* (HarperCollins, 2016) (UK Paperback) ISBN 978-0007582969
- *In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny* (William Collins, 2019) ISBN 978-0008211097[29] (US title: *The Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny* (Liveright, 2019) ISBN 978-1631496394[30])
- *Of Gods and Men: 100 Stories from Ancient Greece and Rome* (Head of Zeus, 2019) ISBN 978-1788546744, ISBN
- *Homer* illus. Angelo Rinaldi (Ladybird Books, Michael Joseph, 2019) ISBN 978-0718188283
- *Not Far From Brideshead: Oxford Between the Wars* (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2022) ISBN 978-1474615570
- [*The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World*](https://books.google.com/books?id=HvDfEAAAQBAJ) (Viking, 2024)[22] ISBN 978-0593299661 LCCN 2024023267

## References

1. Dunn, Daisy (14 March 2015). ["Reading about your school is always a terrible idea"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161220181426/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/03/reading-about-your-school-is-always-a-terrible-idea/). *The Spectator*. Archived from [the original](http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/03/reading-about-your-school-is-always-a-terrible-idea/) on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 5 April 2016.

1. Dunn, Daisy (2016). *Catullus' Bedspread: The Life of Rome's Most Erotic Poet*. London, England: HarperCollins. p. 312. ISBN 978-0007554331.

1. ["Oxford University Department of Classics"](http://www.classics.ox.ac.uk/Alumni-Profiles.html). University of Oxford. Retrieved 5 April 2016.

1. Dunn, Daisy (2016). *Catullus' Bedspread: The Life of Rome's Most Erotic Poet*. London: HarperCollins. p. 312. ISBN 978-0007554331.

1. ["Research Students: Completed Theses"](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/classics/research-students-completed-theses). *University College London Department of Greek & Latin*. 15 November 2018. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20241209200638/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/classics/research-students-completed-theses) 9 December 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2024.

1. ["Notting Hill Editions Essay Prize 2015 longlist"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160317014614/http://www.nottinghilleditions.com/essay-prize-2015-longlist). *Notting Hill Editions*. Archived from [the original](https://www.nottinghilleditions.com/essay-prize-2015-longlist) on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.

1. Madden, Chris (29 January 2016). ["Boris Johnson and Tatler help author launch her debut books"](http://www.dorkingandleatherheadadvertiser.co.uk/Boris-Johnson-Tatler-help-Fetcham-author-launch/story-28616219-detail/story.html). *Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser*. Retrieved 8 May 2016.[dead link]

1. ["Daisy Dunn's book launch party"](http://www.tatler.com/bystander/events/2016/january/daisy-dunns-book-launch-party#!/20503/image/1). *Tatler*. 22 January 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.

1. Hart, Christopher. ["Catullus' Bedspread by Daisy Dunn and The Poems of Catullus, translated by Daisy Dunn"](https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/catullus-bedspread-by-daisy-dunn-and-the-poems-of-catullus-translated-by-daisy-dunn-6grphpwhg56). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. [ISSN 0140-0460](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). Retrieved 2020-05-27.

1. ["Letters to the Editor"](http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/so-how-do-you-translate-fututiones/). *The Times Literary Supplement*. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.

1. Kidd, Patrick (12 May 2016). "Feast of Filth". *The Times, TMS Diary*

1. ["'Big Books by blokes about battles': Why is history still written mainly by men?"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/06/books-blokes-battles-history-written-by-men). *The Guardian*. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.

1. Smith, Julia Llewellyn. ["Daisy Dunn put a sexed-up Catullus among the pigeons. Now it's Pliny's turn"](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/daisy-dunn-put-a-sexed-up-catullus-among-the-pigeons-now-its-plinys-turn-bxtgd2sgp). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. [ISSN 0140-0460](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). Retrieved 2020-05-27.

1. ["Of Gods and Men: 100 Stories"](http://www.daisydunn.co.uk/project/gods-men-100-stories/). *Daisy Dunn: Author, Historian & Journalist*. Retrieved 2020-05-28.

1. ["talkRADIO listen again | talkRADIO"](https://talkradio.co.uk/radio/listen-again/1565568000#). *talkradio.co.uk*. Retrieved 2020-05-28.[dead link]

1. ["Daisy Dunn awarded the Classical Association Prize 2020 – Georgina Capel"](http://www.georginacapel.com/daisy-dunn-awarded-the-classical-association-prize-2020/). Retrieved 2020-05-27.

1. Marshall, Sharon (2020). ["CA Prize-winner 2020: Daisy Dunn"](https://classicalassociation.org/CAprize2020.pdf). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200921175618/https://classicalassociation.org/CAprize2020.pdf) 21 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 28 May 2020.

1. Freeman, Laura (12 March 2022). ["Not Far from Brideshead by Daisy Dunn review — hearties and arties in Oxford's Arcadia"](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/not-far-from-brideshead-by-daisy-dunn-review-0p5l2vgrh). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. Retrieved 26 June 2022.

1. Robson, Leo (4 May 2022). ["Gilbert Murray: The Oxford Don who made Greek chic"](https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/book-of-the-day/2022/05/gilbert-murray-the-oxford-don-who-made-greek-chic). *New Statesman*. Retrieved 26 June 2022.

1. Skinner, Mark (14 September 2022). ["The Best Books of 2022: Biography"](https://www.waterstones.com/blog/the-best-books-of-2022-biography). *Waterstones*

1. ["The Best Books of 2024"](https://www.newyorker.com/best-books-2024). *[The New Yorker](/source/The_New_Yorker)*

1. Gold, Lyta (August 6, 2024). ["review of *The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World* by Daisy Dunn"](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/06/books/review/the-missing-thread-daisy-dunn.html). *The New York Times*

1. ["The truth behind Ancient Rome's most controversial woman"](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210506-the-truth-behind-ancient-romes-most-controversial-woman?xtor=ES-213-%5BBBC%20Features%20Newsletter%5D-2021May14-%5BCulture%7c+Image%5D). *BBC.com (Culture)*. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.

1. ["Five absurd beliefs from the ancient world"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/c99wvv5rvkzo). *BBC Ideas*. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-28.

1. ["Queens of Combat: Rome's Female Gladiators"](https://www.sphere-abacus.com/programme/4428/queens-of-combat-romes-female-gladiators). Retrieved 12 January 2026.

1. ["Troy Story"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38132982/). Retrieved 12 January 2026.

1. ["Historian Answers Most Googled Questions about Pompeii"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBFAFDwSZls). 9 December 2024.

1. ["Young Leaders Programme"](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-italy-young-leaders-programme-2025-edition). 11 September 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2026.

1. Harry Sidebottom (5 July 2019). ["In The Shadow of Vesuvius by Daisy Dunn review: an irresistible life of Pliny"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/shadow-vesuvius-daisy-dunn-review-irresistible-life-pliny/). *The Telegraph*. Retrieved 4 August 2019.

1. McGrath, Charles (2019-12-10). ["They Were the Renaissance Men of Roman Antiquity"](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/books/review/the-shadow-of-vesuvius-a-life-of-pliny-daisy-dunn.html). *The New York Times*. [ISSN 0362-4331](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved 2019-12-11.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Daisy Dunn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Dunn) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Dunn?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.