On Friday 2 October 2026, one of the key inspirations behind the RELICS network, Professor Wim Verbaal, celebrated his emeritus status. Although this is by no means a goodbye, the occasion provided an excellent opportunity for Jeroen De Gussem and Dinah Wouters, both RELICS members and his disciples, to reflect on Wim’s remarkable academic career, his lasting impact on the study of Latin literature, and the intellectual legacy he leaves to generations of students and scholars.
The Book of Psalms holds a central place in both Jewish and Christian traditions, acting as a prayerful bridge between the divine and the human. Through the centuries, it has been translated, versified, and reimagined to suit new linguistic landscapes and historical realities. As a result, it provides the perfect medium through which to investigate transnational and transhistorical literary trends. This conference brings together a diverse group of experts to explore the multifaceted history of this tradition ranging from the Hebrew Bible itself to Byzantine and Medieval Latin rewritings to poetic innovation in the Serbian language at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
RELICS organises a roundtable on women as authors of Latin literature. The event takes place on 11 March 2025 over Zoom.
"On March 8, RELICS researchers held an informal meeting at Ghent University in which we presented pitches of our current projects and discussed forthcoming events for our network. We are excited to announce that our next RELICS conference will be…
This workshop explores the various appearances and meanings of water in pre-modern literary cultures. What role did the geography of waterways play in the transregional movement of authors, texts, styles, and poetics? What commonalities and differences can we identify across…
Read More Conference: ‘Waterways and Literary Channels of the Pre-Modern World’
