Dialogues and Letters (Penguin Classics)

Seneca has long been considered a master of Latin prose. This short book contains his letters to his mother, consoling her for his exile on Corsica, and to a young friend / student Lucile's, on the study of philosophy and a philosophical viewpoint as giving life meaning, as does public service to Seneca. However, though he was born in Spain and served the Roman imperium well (being Nero's tutor before the man went mad in late teen-age), he was exiled and later forced to commit suicide in AD 65 by said Nero and his cronies.

This is one of the most important books I've ever read and one of the very few I return to again and again in difficult times to reflect on its wisdom. Its surprisingly modern and reminds that although things change, much remains the same. Whether he's urging his readers to enjoy the moment or complaining about how much skin women 'these days' show, this is a fascinating and accessible read.

The first book I ever read on philosophy - easy to understand and incredibly interesting. The more things change they more they stay the same.

totally enjoyable read

Lucius Annaeus Seneca's diverse library of written works pass on to modern civilization quite the formidable legacy with which we can celebrate his life's accomplishments. They include the 'Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium' 124 letters he wrote to his friend Lucilius, at that time serving as the procurator of Sicily, ten plays which were mainly Greek Tragedies, a series of essays & treatises devoted to various topics, & a short work which focused predominately on cosmology & astronomy entitled 'Naturales Quaestiones' which is somewhat similar to certain sections of the Elder Pliny's 'Natralis Historiae' in subject matter if not in format.Seneca was born in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica & from an early age he received instruction in rhetoric, ethics & philosophy. Wealth & influence, particularly on the maternal side were abundant in his family & because of this Seneca was able to successfully attain appointment to quaestor roughly at the time of Tiberius' death & Gaius Caligula's rise to power around the year 37 A.D. Caligula utterly despised Seneca's early success as a rhetorician & orator & would frequently level flagrant insults at the Stoic philosopher. Eventually the emperor became so disgusted he actually officially ordered Seneca to commit suicide. At the time he was gravely ill which most likely aided in his survival, as Caligula was informed that the illness was so dire that Seneca had almost no chance of recovery. Upon Claudius becoming emperor in the year 41 A.D. Seneca was subjected to further hardships when the empress Messalina leveled accusations at him for an alleged affair with Caligula's sister, Julia Livilla. This led to Claudius declaring a death sentence on Seneca which was commuted to exile to the island of Corsica. There he remained for eight years until his recall in 49 A.D. by Agrippina the Younger to assume the official position of tutor & advisor to her young son Nero.Seneca composed the majority of his written works during his final 3 years, before Nero ordered his suicide in 65 A.D. in the wake of the failed Pisonian conspiracy, a collusion in which some believe he was not even a participant. 'Seneca : Dialogues & Letters' is not by any means a comprehensive or definitive collection of Seneca's works; it serves more as a reader's sampling of his unique writing style which this selection so colorfully makes manifest. This edition is translated by C.D.N. Costa who certainly has sufficient credentials to be considered an expert on Seneca after reading the short summary on his accomplishments on the first page of the book. Also included is a very well-organized introduction providing invaluable background information on Seneca's life, his reputation & the influence his rhetoric had on various cultures in the centuries following his death as well as the nuances & challenges involved with creating a faithful & accurate translation of his works.'Dialogues & Letters' is not a lengthy book by any means as the page count barely exceeds 160 with the introduction taken into account. This selection contains 3 of Seneca's dialogues : 'Consolation to Helvia', 'On Tranquility of Mind' & 'On the Shortness of Life', 4 of his letters to Lucilius from the 'Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium' followed by 3 short selections from 'Naturales Quaestiones'. 'Consolation to Helvia' is Seneca's attempt to give his love & comfort to his very-distressed mother as she copes with the unfortunate reality of her son's exile by the emperor Claudius. 'On Tranquility of Mind' functions as an informal "dialogue" between Seneca & Annaeus Serenus, a friend of his whom served as 'Praefectus Vigilum' or commander of the Roman city-watchmen 'Vigiles Urbani', first implemented during the reign of Augustus. Serenus is seeking Stoic philosophical enlightenment in which to ease his troubled mind & Seneca provides to his friend both reassurance & comfort in the form of elegant intellectual rhetoric devised to elicit contemplation & self-evaluation as much as it does peace of mind. 'On the Shortness of Life' was written for Senaca's friend Paulinus, another high-ranking Roman government official & 'Praefectus Annonae' or 'overseer of corn distribution' & the dialogue's primary emphasis is on the basic Stoic principles of maximizing one's available opportunities within the short window of time remaining in his or her life. Seneca also does not hesitate to poke fun at himself at various points of the text, bringing much-needed humor to the otherwise-sober atmosphere these pieces are pervaded by. His literature also radiates a noticeably positive attitude, refusing to submit to the yoke of misery or hopelessness & maintaining an upbeat mood & tempo which precludes his reader from succumbing to them either.The letters all are fun to read through albeit extremely brief in their substance. The excerpts taken from 'Naturales Quaestiones' are on subjects that I found interesting simply due to their being written in an era where civilization's scientific knowledge base was prehistoric compared to that of modern society. I enjoy learning about how cultures from antiquity perceived or rationalized natural phenomena like earthquakes or volcanoes.All of the selections featured in 'Dialogues & Letters' provide wonderful examples of Seneca's unique style of writing, a technique which maintains to this day a profound & persistent influence on western civilization. In my personal experience reading Seneca I will take extra time to ponder the significance of a particular sentence, or passage; oftentimes he approaches the concepts discussed in a roundabout manner that invites his audience to consider them from an alternate perspective. Speaking generally, Seneca usually doesn't just come right out & say something; he utilizes various approaches in which to communicate his message : metaphors, similes, related examples, & comparisons to historical figures are among the more prolific methods I've run across in my time with Seneca. I can only imagine the difficulties involved with translating something as subtly nuanced as what's in this selection. The notes at the back of the book prove to be invaluable due to the frequency in which Seneca will utilize historical figures to illustrate the advice he provides in the letter or dialogue in negative examples as well as positive; Gaius Caligula makes an appearance via an anecdote in the final dialogue of the collection, 'On the Shortness of Life'. Also mentioned are the infamous 'Thirty Tyrants' of Greece who ruled Athens with an iron fist from 404 - 403 B.C. at the end of the Peloponnesian War.The majority of the short works found here share similar Stoic concepts & themes that Seneca obviously possessed strong feelings for from a philosophical standpoint. Women are praised for their virtue, their loyalty to their families & faithfulness to their husbands. Ideals & qualities considered to be Stoic frequently appear, both directly & indirectly. Aversion to excessive wealth (Seneca obviously didn't adhere to that one, he was extremely wealthy which was probably why so many people hated him), abstinence from a luxurious lifestyle & adopting a forgiving, generous disposition in regard to one's fellow man all are frequent themes throughout all of Seneca's work in addition to this collection. Seneca also integrated into his writings the teachings of other philosophers from schools separate from Stoicism. Plato, Epicurus, Socrates & Xenophon all are mentioned in numerous instances throughout the text.'Seneca : Dialogues & Letters' is a great read which proves to be surprisingly deeper than its minimal page count may at first lead you to believe. It's a wonderful companion piece to Seneca's other compilation 'Letters from a Stoic'; the two books complement one another perfectly & the introspective subject matter makes subsequent re-readings in the future very worth your time.I hope you enjoyed the review, & perhaps learned a bit about Seneca or Roman history !

If Seneca was not the greatest philosopher of the Silver Age, then he was the most reasonable and practical thinker Rome ever knew. For his natural, straight-forward system of applied ethics made philosophy a way of living for the whole of the Roman populace. Truly, it was not just the singular privilege of educated wealthy aristocrats and politicians to realize the Stoic ideal, but it was also within the power of uneducated slaves and lower-class-citizens to embody those virtues as well, as the example of Epictetus clearly shows. Now, here presented in this piecemeal selection of Seneca's works, one may first come to meet this exemplar of Stoicism face-to-face in every genre he ever wrote in, with the exception of his Tragedies and his only extant Satire entitled, The God Claudius. Furthermore, these short extractions from Seneca's relatively immense corpus of writings are rich in allusion and anecdote, and they are packed with profoundly helpful advice on how to endure life's hardships and how to enjoys life's benefits to the fullest as well. This little volume will be a great introductory source for Roman Stoicism and it will compel readers to pursue the greater portions of Seneca's superb works. One may discover the complete surviving body of Seneca's writings in text and translation within the invaluable editions of the Loeb Classical Library (Harvard).

Great book. This collection by penguin includes a piecemeal assortment of some of Seneca's work. This was my introduction to Seneca so I can't speak to its representation of his work.The essays and letters read in the classic proscriptive style of stoic philosophy (see especially the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius). It was filled with succinct proverbial exhortations that are memorable and penetrating. Seneca and the stoics provide more psychological self-help than most contemporary books in that genre. There is a reason some authors are still read after 2000 years. A quick read and for a worthwhile investment in time--at least for those who are new to Seneca.Some of my favorites:It is better to be despised for simplicity than to suffer agonies from everlasting pretense. Still let us use moderation here: there is a big difference between living simply and living carelessly.We should also make ourselves flexible, so that we do not pin our hopes too much on our set plans and can move over to those things to which chance has brought us without dreading a change in either our purpose or our condition, provided that fickleness, that fault most inimical to tranquility, does not get a hold of us.The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and losses today.

Since there are only so few original texts left on Stoicism, I would read Seneca and Marcus Aurelius before moving onto the master stoic, Epictetus himself. This is just a warm up.

an interestingly great book amazing book, good value for money

An impressive collection of some samples of Seneca's works. We develop an idea about the extent of Seneca's knowledge and reasoning ability. A must read.

Quick delivery, great condition and great price. Many thanks