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How to Die cover art

How to Die

Written by: Seneca, James S. Romm - introduction and translation
Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
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Publisher's Summary

"It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die", wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD). He counseled readers to "study death always", and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca's remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James S. Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker and dazzling writer who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out.

Seneca believed that life is only a journey toward death and that one must rehearse for death throughout life. Here, he tells us how to practice for death, how to die well, and how to understand the role of a good death in a good life. He stresses the universality of death, its importance as life's final rite of passage, and its ability to liberate us from pain, slavery, or political oppression.

Featuring beautifully rendered new translations, How to Die also includes an enlightening introduction, notes, the original Latin texts, and an epilogue presenting Tacitus's description of Seneca's grim suicide.

Introduced, edited, and translated by James S. Romm

©2018 Princeton University Press (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

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Good summary of a stoic on death

Collation of Seneca's writing on death. There are some useful ideas though it does get somewhat repetitive.

Heavy focus on quality of life over length of life.

Would NOT reccomend reading during tough times in your life. Seneca heavily advocates rash choices.

Seneca was not a madman nor a supporter of Nero (despite being his teacher -- Nero was not a good learner).

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Fascinating look into a madman

A compelling look into a madman. You could literally see him walking with Nero in his gardens watching people burn alive and enjoying their pain.You can see this philosophy leads to with the thousands of corpses. Absolutely fascinating.

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