This is not a commentary on Juvenal 10: there are enough of those already, some of a high quality, on which I have drawn frequently and gratefully; it is a critical appreciation of the poem that examines it on its own and in context, and tries to make it come alive as a piece of literature. I offer one man's close reading of X as poetry, concerned with literary criticism rather than philological minutiae, not discussing textual problems unless they have a substantial effect on interpretation, and, to avoid inordinate clutter, not including constant references to material already adequately covered by commentators (anyone who needs more elucidation than that provided below by me is directed to those scholars). There is not much on well-worn topics like the persona and the influence of rhetoric. Over the last 30 years or so there has been a very welcome broadening of insights into Juvenal's satire. Out of all this I have concentrated on the lines of approach which I find most illuminating and useful and areas in which I feel I have the most to contribute. Doing full justice to them entails passing lightly or in silence over critical stances and theories which I find less fruitful and unconvincing, so as not to make this monograph even longer and more complicated. So I often address the issues of distortion and problematizing and also style and diction. I also devote much time to intertextuality and to humour, wit and irony. In particular I hope to build on the work of scholars like Martyn, Jenkyns and Schmitz, who see in J. a consistently skilful and sophisticated author, and to produce something new – a whole book demonstrating a high level of expertise on J.'s part sustained throughout a long poem (rather than intermittent flashes). My investigation of 10 has led me to conclude that J. is an accomplished poet and provocative satirist, a writer with real focus, who makes every word count; and my (admittedly less probing) exploration of the other Satires confirms that assessment. I offer, of course, just a personal evaluation of a notoriously slippery and intriguing author, highlighting aspects that I find of interest and note; and readers are encouraged to engage critically with the views expressed below, to take them further and to pursue other lines of inquiry which they themselves find appealing.