Customer Reviews

On the Shortness of Life (Penguin Great Ideas)

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Seneca's brand of Stoicism emphasized the philosophy by which his reader might face life's setbacks. In particular he considered it important to confront the fact of one's own mortality. The discussion of how to approach death dominates this book, which is a series of letters to relatives and friends. Seneca himself was ordered to commit suicide by the Emperor Nero, and did so in A.D. 65.

This book also elucidates the author's pet peeves, many of which sound quite modern:

* Men who comb their few strands of hair forward in an effort to hide their baldness
* Historians who memorize obscure dates and battles in an effort to appear knowledgeable
* Collectors and hobbyists of any sort
* Sports fans (men who sit at "a wrestling ring...keenly following the bouts between boys")
* Men who pretend they're younger than they are
* Lunatic poets who prose on about love
* The current mode of dance (mincing and wriggling)

There is very little talk about love or mitigating the pain of death through love. In fact, Seneca recommends that we detach ourselves from strenuous goal-seeking, repeated indulgence in sport and play, or overindulgence in anything.

Everything in moderation.

Yet his wife did commit suicide with Seneca. Was that out of love or fear?

This small book (106 pages) gives its reader a window into the life and customs of the Roman Empire as seen through the clear gaze of one of its eminent philosophers.

So it is, Seneca observes, it's not that we are not given a short life, but that we waste a lot it. Life is long if you know how to use it. How stupid to forget our mortality. "Live immediately." Also known for his tragedy Oedipus, Seneca (Lucius Annaeus) (AD 4-65) was a Stoic philosopher. His reputation as a philosopher is derived primarily from his twelve books of MORAL ESSAYS and philosophical letters. The Stoics emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency and equanimity in the face of adversity, and believed that virtue is attainable only by living in harmony with nature. Although he may not rank with Plato or Aristotle as a philosopher, or with Marcus Aurelius (121-180) (MEDITATIONS) or Epictetus as a Stoic sage, Seneca nevertheless offers us timeless wisdom for living a meaningful life. (It should be noted that this review refers to the 2005 Penguin Great Ideas edition of ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE, translated by C. D. N. Costa, which includes the three essays, "On the Shortness of Life," "Consolation to Helvia," and "On Tranquility of Mind.")

G. Merritt

For my mother's fifty-fifth birthday, I gave her a copy of this book. Even I, at sixteen, was completely changed by Seneca's powerful and timeless ideals in this book- these are essays for all ages, all eras, all people. Although Seneca wrote in the beginning of the "common era," his description of a world where people search fruitlessly for happiness through materialism and waiting for the future rings truer than ever in our postmodern age. His ideas for remedying our distress, through accepting each minute of life as it comes and concentrating completely on our present task, are no less than transforming.

This little book contains three writings from the classic Roman Philosopher Seneca who lived from about 5 B.C. to 65 A.D. and was a contemporary of the Apostle Paul. (There are even letters supposedly between the two, which were proven to be ancient forgeries, See: Lost Books of the Bible).
The three writings contained in this work are:
On the shortness of life.
Consolation to Helvia.
On the tranquility of mind.

In these writings the great philosopher warns of the dangers of materialism and how it leads to unhappiness. Life will be miserable for those who acquire through great toil what they must keep by greater toil. The wealthy are no more happy than the poor, for most worry about losing what they have. The author advises not getting to attached to money, public office, or influence because fortune can reclaim them. He suggests to love frugality and the pursuit of learning, study history and philosophy. Be careful what you exchange your time for, life goes by quickly. The ideal amount of money never falls with in the range of poverty or far exceeds it. He believes that people can be happy in simplicity and contemplation. He advises leading a balanced life and beware of fame, power, and responsibilty becasue most that are in high places became trapped and unhappy dreaming of freedom and peace. This was a delightful book and an excellent translation. If you love philosphy I highly recommend adding this little book to your collection. Spend your time wisely it will go by very quickly.

I disagree with the former reviewer that this is not a wise purchase. These texts are available online if you know how to find them, so part of buying a book these days is the having of a crafted object upon which to enjoy that text. In this regard, this 100 page book has the title nicely embossed into it's paper cover and its art is simple, classic. The paper inside is an off white that has obviously been carefully chosen. Best of all, the type is very crisp and clear and easy to read. When I buy a book I am most concerned with the quality of the type because, in my opinion, muddy text is distracting.

I would agree that it is not a definitive reference, but I enjoy soaking in a few gems from many writers on many subjects, and for this reason I am glad that these little great ideas books are being published.

I have not seen the other volume that was aforementioned by the previous reviewer and therefore cannot compare its qualities.

A timeless classic by one of the eminent philosophers of Rome. Written 2000 years ago, Seneca's words still ring true as he urges moderation, mental tranquility and appreciation for life - all the while providing the reader into insights that could be heard today - such as a shortage of good teachers, the vanity of the general populus, superficiality and the lack of depth of people's thinking and actions. A good little book that will allow you to appreciate that throughout human history, philosophy stands timeless, and our "modern" problems have plauged us for millenia.

This short 106 page book will give you plenty to think about. The translation is very good, and the ancient writing has been translated perfectly for the modern ear. You can't beat the price . . . dollar for dollar this may be one of the most valuable books you will ever buy.

Some of my favorite quotes include:

"To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately."

"Life is short, art is long."

"You act like mortals in all that you fear and immortals in all that you desire."

"They take delight in certain vices as proofs of their good fortune: it seems to be the lowly and contemptible man who knows what he is doing."

"Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age."

Highly recommended for everyone. This will change how you think, and it could change how you live as well.

As a general rule, avoid any translation of a classic work that comes up with its own new title. It normally means that the author is trying to appeal to contemporary readers more than the spirit of the original work. They'd rather have some catchy name than describe it as the anthology it actually is. This was the reason I was skeptical of reading On the Shortness of Life since Seneca wrote no such collection (it's the title of one of his essays) but I was thankfully proven wrong. Although there are some instances where the author is pandering, it is for the most part accurate and reads much like Letters from a Stoic (Penguin Classics).

However, there aren't any footnotes, an introduction or a conclusion, important parts of a classic work that you only miss when they're gone. The first essay is probably the best. See: Seneca's concept of slavery. That we would never let someone steal our money or property, but we give them free reign to take our time from us. If you're in a hurry, skip the consolation to his mother and finish the third essay about tranquility. See: having faith in your position, as peace is the assuredness that you're going in the right direction.

The book arrived in a timely manner and in the condition advertised. I would do business with this vendor again.

This slim volume, part of Penguin's "Great Ideas" series, contains three essays from the famed Roman statesman-philosopher: "On the Shortness of Life," "The Consolation of Helvetia," and "On Tranquility of Mind."

Each of these essays is a small masterpiece of thought and prose, but they can also be found, along with many other stellar pieces, in "Stoic Philosophy of Seneca: Essays and Letters" (edited by Moses Hadas) for a comparable price.

In short, this book is useful as an introductory gift to someone amiable to learning about Stoic philosophy, as is Epictetus's "Enchiridion." Still, the continued publication of the Hadas volume makes it something less than a wise purchase.