Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Seneca

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140442103 ISBN 13: 9780140442106

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 2004

Synopsis

Illuminating writings by Stoicism's most eloquent advocate, now with a new introduction

'It is philosophy that has the duty of protecting us... without it no one can lead a life free of fear or worry'

For several years of his turbulent life, in which he was dogged by ill health, exile and danger, Seneca was the guiding hand of the Roman Empire. This selection of Seneca's letters shows him upholding the ideals of Stoicism - the wisdom of the self-possessed person immune to life's setbacks - while valuing friendship and courage, and criticizing the harsh treatment of slaves and the cruelties in the gladiatorial arena. The humanity and wit revealed in Seneca's interpretation of Stoicism is a moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.

About this title

About the Author

Seneca (Author)
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c.4BC - AD65) was born in Cordoba, Spain, where he was brought up studying the traditional virtues of republican Roman life. He became a teacher of rhetoric but attracted attention for his incisive style of writing.

Liz Gloyn (Introducer)
Liz Gloyn is a Reader in Latin Language and Literature in the Department of Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London, where her research focuses on the intersections between Latin literature, ancient philosophy and gender studies. She is co-director of the Centre for the Reception of Greece and Rome and the author of The Ethics of the Family in Seneca (2017) and Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture (2019).

From the Back Cover

Selected from the Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, Seneca's Letters from a Stoic are a set of 'essays in disguise' from one of the most insightful philosophers of the Silver Age of Roman literature. This Penguin Classics edition is translated from the Latin with an introduction by Robin Campbell.
A philosophy that saw self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', Stoicism called for the restraint of animal instincts and the severing of emotional ties. These beliefs were formulated by the Athenian followers of Zeno in the fourth century BC, but it was in Seneca that the Stoics found their most eloquent advocate. Stoicism, as expressed in the Letters, helped ease pagan Rome's transition to Christianity, for it upholds upright ethical ideals and extols virtuous living, as well as expressing disgust for the harsh treatment of slaves and the inhumane slaughters witnessed in the Roman arenas. Seneca's major contribution to a seemingly unsympathetic creed was to transform it into a powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.
Robin Campbell's lucid translation captures Seneca's humour and tautly aphoristic style. In his introduction, he discusses the tensions between Seneca's philosophy and his turbulent career as adviser to the tyrannical emperor Nero.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c.4BC - AD65) was born in Spain but was raised according to the traditional values of the republic of Rome. In AD48 he became tutor to the future emperor Nero and became his principal civil advisor when he took power. His death was eventually ordered by Nero in AD65, but Seneca anticipated the emperor's decree and committed suicide.
If you enjoyed Letters from a Stoic, you might like Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, also available in Penguin Classics.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140442103
• ISBN 13: 9780140442106
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352
• Editor: Campbell Robin