("Latin life") refers to a series of five international academic conferences dedicated to the modern use of spoken and written Latin, held in France from 1956 to 1975.
History Following World War II, European intellectuals and Latin scholars and enthusiasts wanted to unify the continent and revive the use of Latin. In 1952, Professor Jean Capelle, former dean of the University of Nancy, published an influential article titled ("Latin or Babel"), proposing Latin as a modern international spoken language. This article catalyzed a series of five international conferences, each held in France: ("International Congress for Living Latin")
+ Conferences Year Title Location Organizer Attendees 1956 Premier Congrès international pour le latin vivant Avignon, France Jean Capelle & Édouard Théodore-Aubanel Approx. 200–250 (from 22 nations) 1959 Deuxième Congrès international pour le latin vivant Lyon (Villeurbanne), France Jean Capelle 158 participants from 19 countries 1963 Troisième Congrès international pour le latin vivant Strasbourg, France Pierre Grimal 254 to 400 participants from at least 22 countries 1969 Quatrième Congrès international pour le latin vivant Avignon, France Pierre Grimal 235 from 19 countries 1975 Cinquième Congrès international pour le latin vivant Pau, France Pierre Grimal 89, fewer attendees from outside France
Influence Other groups and conferences The 1963 conference in Avignon formally proposed that the next conference should be held in Rome. A direct response to this was a 1966 conference in Rome organized by Pietro Romanelli. Even though the Rome conference was organized independently, most attendees of the 1963 conference in Avignon also attended the Rome conference in 1966.
The Rome conference eventually led to the foundation of a new association likewise based in Rome, the Academia Latinitati Fovendae (ALF). It can be said that the Living Latin movement split into two separate efforts. As scholar Karolis M. Lyvens describes it, "the congress marks a meeting point where the official movement of Living Latin branched in two."
The association was founded in 1957 by Édouard Théodore-Aubanel and Jean Capelle, after the Avignon Congress in September 1956, establishing its original focus on the "Living Latin" movement.
The world-renowned French latinist and historian Pierre Grimal served as President of the association from the 1962 until his resignation in 1989. After that, the association's journal transitioned from being written fully in Latin to a broader classical studies format, with articles in French, English and other languages.
Following this transition, Paul Marius Martin, Emeritus Professor of Latin at UPVM, took over the academic and organizational steering of . He served as President until 2009 and remains its ("Honorary President").
Today, the association's mission is to promote Latin culture and the teaching of Latin the language.
Journal
The journal was launched in 1957, the same year as the association of the same name.
From 1957 through 1994, the journal was written entirely in Latin. Alongside academic articles, it published original Latin poems, short stories, and Latin essays addressing modern news and current events.
Starting in 1994, the journal moved its headquarters from Avignon to the University of Montpellier Paul Valéry, associating with the CERCAM research center. The journal stopped publishing creative writing and became an annual peer-reviewed academic journal, including articles covering Classical antiquity to the Renaissance. Since 1994, the journal has included articles in many languages besides Latin (French, English, etc.).
See also Academia Latinitati Fovendae Living Latin Pietro Romanelli Jean Capelle, more details at Jean Capelle Pierre Grimal Édouard Théodore-Aubanel
References
External links Vita Latina Journal Homepage at OpenEdition Journals (recent issues) Vita Latina Journal Archive at Persée (all issues since 1989)