By Kaitlin Andorfer

Classics and Comparative Literature professor, Ilaria Marchesi, recently won a $40,000 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The much sought after grant was presented to Marchesi for her proposal on her research of the epistles of the historical figure Pliny the Younger, a Roman senator who served under the emperors Domitian and Trajan. Pliny’s letters have brought about a great deal of research on the Roman social and historical situation and are topic of much criticism, which detracts from their eminence and prestige.

Marchesi’s research attempts to reestablish Pliny’s prominent position in the tradition of letter-writing.

Prior to joining the University faculty, Marchesi taught for the Department of Classics at Princeton University and taught Italian at St. Mary’s College

in Indiana.

A native of Florence, Italy, Marchesi was first exposed to the world of classical studies in high school when she studied at the Classical Lycee in Florence. She moved to the United States in 1999 and attained her master’s and Ph.D. in classics at Rutgers University.

With her she brought her love of ancient cultures and languages, but still enjoys returning to her native homeland every summer to visit friends and family and to do research in libraries that preserve manuscripts of ancient texts.

With her newly awarded grant, Marchesi, in her third year as tenure-track assistant professor, plans to take a year of sabbatical to spend time continuing her research and turning it into a book. Her preliminary manuscript has been accepted for publication by Cambridge University Press.

During her leave of absence she will be replaced by a full-time visiting professor chosen from the most certified scholars in the field.

“My absence will not be a disruption to the progress of the classics program, rather, it will be an opportunity for my students to experience a different approach to the discipline of classics,” Marchesi said.

Marchesi has devoted a great deal of time to rebuilding the classics program and implementing the study of the Greek and Roman culture at the University.

“With the help of my colleagues in the Department of Comparative Literature and Languages, I devoted all my energies to promote a study that I believe is essential for the education of our students,” she said. “I am very proud of the progress we have made.”

Marchesi said the reputation of a university grows together with the reputation of its faculty.

“Hofstra faculty should be dedicated and effective teachers, no less than active scholars, deeply engaged in their respective disciplines and renowned outside of our University,” she said.

Illaria Marchesi won a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her research on Pliny. (Photo courtesy hofstra.edu)