Virtue and Happiness (Shambhala Calligraphy) [Paperback]

Claude Mediavilla (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 2003 | Series: Shambhala Calligraphy

Claude Mediavilla brings to the Greek text his training as both a painter and calligrapher, marrying modern variants of both medium and style with classical forms in a way that brings Epictetus' words to life with beauty and startling immediacy. Calligraphy (from the Greek for "beautiful writing") is an art where word and image meet, where the artist strives to give visual expression to the meaning of words in a way that transcends the text while remaining completely faithful to it. It is a discipline that has been invested with spiritual significance wherever it has arisen—and it has arisen throughout the world in every age, in virtually every language, culture, and religion. The Shambhala Calligraphy series is a collection of books devoted to contemporary expressions of this "art of the word," featuring contemporary calligraphers' striking new interpretations of texts that have been traditional subjects for calligraphic interpretation. Whether in Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Chinese pictographs, the characters, words, and sentences are brought to life anew here in a choreography of mind, hand, and heart by which letter and spirit fuse in a single stroke.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek (translation)
Original Language: Latin

From the Inside Flap

Claude Mediavilla brings to the Greek text his training as both a painter and calligrapher, marrying modern variants of both medium and style with classical forms in a way that brings Epictetus? words to life with beauty and startling immediacy.
Calligraphy (from the Greek for "beautiful writing") is an art where word and image meet, where the artist strives to give visual expression to the meaning of words in a way that transcends the text while remaining completely faithful to it. It is a discipline that has been invested with spiritual significance wherever it has arisen--and it has arisen throughout the world in every age, in virtually every language, culture, and religion.
The Shambhala Calligraphy series is a collection of books devoted to contemporary expressions of this "art of the word," featuring contemporary calligraphers' striking new interpretations of texts that have been traditional subjects for calligraphic interpretation. Whether in Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, or Chinese pictographs, the characters, words, and sentences are brought to life anew here in a choreography of mind, hand, and heart by which letter and spirit fuse in a single stroke.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (April 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590300521
• ISBN-13: 978-1590300527
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,925,831 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful gem of a book; a great gift for a friend--or for yourself!, April 5, 2007

By 

Owen Hatteras "h_sapiens" (Austin, Texas. An oasis in a desert of imbecillity.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Virtue and Happiness (Shambhala Calligraphy) (Paperback)

Do not ask for what happens

to happen as you desire it; rather desire

that things should happen

as they happen, and you will be happy.

--Epictetus

We do not even know his name, (Epictetus means "slave") only little more than that he was owned by one of Nero's freedmen, who made him permanently lame from a savage beating. Under Roman law, a slave was not even considered human, only a 'talking tool'. (Livestock were 'semi-talking tools', while implements such as plows and hoes were 'silent tools'.) Yet from such a terrible beginning came one of the foremost exponents of the morality of Stoicism in the classical world. As with Socrates, we only know of his teaching what diligent students wrote down (and precious little of that survived).

This book consists of 24 well-chosen excerpts from the "Enchiridion" (meaning "Manual"). These are set off by beautiful reproductions of Greek-letter calligraphy done on various media and printed on the facing pages. The coated, heavy-stock paper that the book is printed on not only makes for durability, it also gives the book a rich feel that only augments the pleasure of reading it.

The message of the book is starkly simple: true happiness is to be found within and consists of cultivating an equanimity and independence of spirit. The former seeks to moderate unbalancing passions of whatever sort, while the latter works itself out in right conduct, whatever the crowd thinks or does.

For my money, such a book as this is far more helpful than the "Meditations" of Marcus Aurelius in turning Stoicism from a dry philosophy to a way of life. Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome may have had affinities with the crippled slave whose hard-won wisdom is preserved here, but the true test of a philosophy is how well it holds up--and how well it helps one bear up--under the worst sort of adversity. By this measure, my inclination is to first listen to the crippled slave.