#125: Heres to Drinking at Home
In 1536, a now obscure poet named Vincent Obsopoeus published a long verse called The Art of Drinking, or De Arte Bibendi, filled with shockingly modern advice. Moderation, not abstinence, is the key to lasting sobriety, he writes\u2014and then turns around and teaches us how to win at drinking games and give a proper toast. Joining us this week is the man who brought this sound advice to modern English\u2014Michael Fontaine, professor of classics at Cornell University, whose newly rebranded How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing is the first proper English translation of Obsopoeus\u2019s ode to mild inebriation.
Go beyond the episode:
- Michael Fontaine\u2019s How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art of Imbibing (read an excerpt here)
- Read his series of posts on the Best American Poetry blog, run by friend of the magazine David Lehman: \u201cWe Have Sex Education. Should We Teach Drinking Education, Too?\u201d, \u201cWhat Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger,\u201d and more
- Ready to pour one? May we recommend the sazerac, per Wayne Curtis, which Fontaine also recommends in his list of \u201cQuarantinis\u201d for drinking at home?
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