Selected and translated with an introduction by Robin Campbell, Letters from a Stoic by SENECA – is a captivating book. 

 

The date of Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s birth is not exactly known – but the dates are placed either in 5 or 4 B.C., although some scholars are of the view that Seneca was born in 8 B.C., or late as A.D. 4.  He was born at Cordoba, a thriving town in Roman Spain.

The book has the selection of Seneca’s letters – possessing the Stoic principles which had come into being some centuries earlier in Athens.

Seneca’s own life faced turbulence – both due to his prevailing times, and extremely poor health.  Frustration at his ailing condition made Seneca’s interpretation of life more philosophical.  In the book, there are records how Seneca dealt or approached life.  The style of his declaration is full of wit and wisdom.

SENECA is published by Penguin Classics.

Geeta Chhabra