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The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca Illustrated Edition

by Emily Wilson (Author)

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By any measure, Seneca (?4-65AD) is one of the most significant figures in both Roman literature and ancient philosophy. His writings are voluminous and diverse, ranging from satire to disturbing, violent tragedies, from metaphysical theory to moral and political discussions of virtue and anger. Seneca found himself at the turbulent center of Roman imperial power, making him thus an important witness to the Empire's first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians. Exiled by the emperor Claudius in the wake of a sex scandal, he was eventually brought back to Rome to become tutor and, later, speech-writer and advisor to Nero. Seneca was suspected of plotting against Nero, condemned to die, and ultimately took his own life-an act that is one of the most iconic suicides in Western history.

The life and works of Seneca pose a number of fascinating challenges. How can we reconcile the bloody tragedies with the prose works advocating a life of Stoic tranquility? How are we to balance Seneca the man of principle, who counseled a life of calm and simplicity, with Seneca the man of the moment, who amassed a vast personal fortune in the service of an emperor seen by many, at the time and afterwards, as an insane tyrant? In this definitive and moving biography, Emily Wilson presents Seneca as a man under enormous pressure, struggling for compromise in a world of absolutism. The Greatest Empire offers us the portrait of a life lived perilously in the gap between political realities and philosophical ideals, between what we aspire to be and what we are.

ISBN-10

0199926646
ISBN-13

978-0199926640
Edition

Illustrated
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

October 21, 2014
Language

English
Dimensions

9.45 x 6.46 x 0.94 inches
Print length

253 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wilson offers a carefully balanced narrative of Seneca's life that is derived, as it must be, from partial and often contradictory sources" --Christian Century

"This is a riveting and complete picture of Seneca's complex and compromised life. It is impeccably researched, carefully structured, and written with admirable brio. For good or ill, ours is a Senecan age." --Simon Critchley, The New School for Social Research

"A fresh, perceptive, and in-depth look at the enigmatic Seneca, giving us a nuanced perspective into the conflicted mind and motives of the philosopher who embraced lofty Stoic ideals while serving Nero and amassing great wealth in the process. I honestly could not put it down, it is so insightful and well written and yes-suspenseful, even though we know the ending." --Margaret George, author of Elizabeth I: The Novel and Helen of Troy: A Novel

"Unique as a scholarly book-length treatment of Seneca, this biography should appeal to anyone intrigued by the paradox of struggling to achieve wealth and power-and peace of mind." - Library Journal

"One way to sort out the contradictions of Seneca's life is not even to try. The art critic Robert Hughes labelled Seneca 'a hypocrite almost without equal in the ancient world', and left it at that. Romm and Wilson--and the new wave of Seneca scholars more generally--resist such reductive judgments. It is possible, in their view, to see Seneca as a hypocrite and as a force of moral restraint." --The New Yorker

"Seneca lived in a world where dissimulation was a way of life, and the confusion between reality and failure woven into the very fabric of the state. It is the mirror he holds up to it which makes him such a great and unsettling writer, and which Wilson's fine biography does so much to explicate." --The Telegraph

"Since Miriam Griffin's Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics (1976), historians have wondered how Seneca could reconcile being a millionaire courtier and Nero's's adviser with his Stoic principles. For Wilson, the more interesting question is why he preached what he did, when he knew his integrity was so compromised. " --The Guardian

"Wilson finds Seneca's life and work relevant to modern-day western culture, troubled by the psychological pressures that go with material wealth and by the problems attendant on consumerism and globalisation. By quoting in translation and explaining Roman practices she helps the general reader enjoy her well-written and imaginative book." --History Today

"Morally our author is tough on Seneca, contrasting, for example, his lickspittle approach to Nero with Boudicca's resistance. But she is a persuasive extoller of his writing and the final chapter about his diverse legacy is breathtaking." --The Spectator

"...the most famous and poignant example of a philosopher trying and spectacularly failing to improve a ruler, is that of the Roman Stoic Seneca, whose life is wonderfully retold here by the classicist Emily Wilson." --The Sunday Times

About the Author

Emily Wilson is Associate Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Illustrated edition (October 21, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 253 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199926646
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199926640
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.45 x 6.46 x 0.94 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #663,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #229 in Ancient Rome Biographies
- #628 in Ancient & Classical Literary Criticism (Books)
- #1,111 in Greek & Roman Philosophy (Books)

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4.5 98 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

98 global ratings

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Matthew Martinez

Great history given the subject

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 21, 2021

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There’s not a whole lot of historical record regarding Seneca’s life aside from his own writings. In order to write a full biography, one needs to make educated assumptions to fill in the gaps. With that in mind, this was about as holistic as I could have wanted it to be, without the Hollywood shock factor that some other books of this same subject strive for. There were a few quips here and there that I found a little out of place - sometimes representing more of an opinion than an educated guess - but they are few and far between.

Recommend this to anyone trying to learn about Seneca as a man, not just a writer and philosopher. As an avid proponent of “Moral Letters to Lucilius” (or “Letters from a Stoic”), I was surprised to learn that Seneca was just as flawed a man as anyone else. He strove for lofty ideals, but was not perfect - sometimes bordering on hypocritical. But I still find value in his writing. Almost more so now that I understand his own personal and professional struggles and vices.

2 people found this helpful

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Willis G. Regier

Seneca for the 21st century

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 23, 2018

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Through the last two thousand years Seneca has had devoted admirers and nasty critics, who argue still whether he is worth reading. He is a complex figure who needs a book to be done justice. Wilson’s The Greatest Empire: A Life of Seneca manages to fit into just over 200 pages the issues at stake in Seneca, his life measured against his philosophy, his immense influence, and his part in public controversies and palace intrigues. She pays attention to the Seneca family. She cites her sources, whether witness or rumor. She summarizes Seneca’s surviving works, taking full advantage of Seneca’s quotabilty. She sympathizes with the women around him. Does Wilson believe Seneca is worth reading? Yes, definitely, and her book will help readers choose where to begin.

The biography is very well illustrated and is well equipped with a useful chronology and ample bibliography. What is missing? Only what every reader needs to supply: an understanding that everything Seneca wrote was written when Caesars killed their critics.

7 people found this helpful

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Siobhan

Penetrating insight; slightly sloppy execution

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 10, 2015

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This is a really fascinating, well-done biography. Wilson treats the historical sources fairly, but focuses heavily on Seneca's own writings and the insight they offer into his psychology. In many parts, it reads more like literary analysis than history, but I don't think this is a bad thing: she does a great job highlighting the complexity and contradictions in his famously compartmentalized character.

Four stars only because I found it to be a frustrating read in parts. Wilson would have benefitted from a tighter editing job: the writing is verbose, and there are places where she seems to circle back to the same point she'd just made a page before without developing it any further. There's a lot of musing and meandering: sometimes she seems to be implying an argument, but backs away from actually making it. As a result, the end feels slightly anti-climactic: she passed many fascinating points along the way, but it doesn't all come together.

That said, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Seneca, or Roman history in general.

17 people found this helpful

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F. Bailey Norwood

This book is terrific, awesome

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 20, 2015

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This book is terrific, awesome, a masterpiece. Masterly written. It is a great addition to the standard books about Seneca's life, like the book Dying Every Day, because it goes way beyond just describing Seneca and his political adventures, but provides a lot of the details about philosophy, ancient history, and Seneca's family that is necessary to really understand the man (to the extent that he can be understood!). The book to me is written for people who want more than a political thriller, but one who really wants to understand the man and his times.

But even more valuable than the information is the writing, which is spectacular. Every paragraph you think to yourself, "The author is either a naturally gifted author, or someone who is willing to spend hours to craft the perfect paragraph." The book is really worth reading just for the writing, even if one has little interest in Seneca.

And I assure you, I have never even met Emily Wilson. Each word I say is sincere.

20 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

I came away with a good idea of who Seneca was

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

I read this because I saw of review of her translation of the "Odyssey"- plus I read philosophy especially Stoic philosophy. Very well-written and very clear. I came away with a good idea of who Seneca was; (the apparent?)inconsistency of his philosophy and his life came through. This is a nice biography of a complicated man in chaotic times.

One person found this helpful

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Shaunna

Great anthropological view of Seneca's writings

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 20, 2020

Verified Purchase

I loved learning more about Roman culture & politics as a background to Seneca's writings. I did think I should have read his work side by side with this book. I may reread this book when I start reading more of Seneca's works.

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Samurai Student

Excellent introduction to Stoicism and Seneca

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

Excellent introduction to Stoicism and Seneca. Emily Wilson writes in a fluid, lively, and accessible style. The book has a great timeline, bibliography, and further reading section. It's a good mix of biography and philosophical teaching. Very inspirational! I like Emily Wilson's writing style so much that I am going to read all of her books.

2 people found this helpful

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Sir Thomas Wyatt

and that it draws judiciously upon other scholarship while making really smart and interesting connections of its own

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a very well-written biography. Those with some scholarly familiarity with Seneca and his era will see that the book is based upon a lot of research, erudition, and knowledge, and that it draws judiciously upon other scholarship while making really smart and interesting connections of its own. But it wears its erudition lightly, and non-specialist readers will also find it an interesting and illuminating read too. I'm impressed.

11 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Kunde

Immensely readable

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on May 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

The greatest empire is to be master of oneself. A Book I recommend everyone to read. The chaotic times in which Seneca lived are under many aspects similar to ours. We can learn how to navigate in a turbulent world following the timeless wisdom of an outstanding man of action and philosopher. Living is fighting.
Hans Hinterhuber

G. Nadeau

Very interesting, well written

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Really loved this book - I bought it for a university essay on Seneca, and it literally changed the vision I had of this philosopher. Wilson really manages to integrate Seneca's many works in context with the events that surrounded Nero's court. This book is well written, easily within grasp of a novice in philosophy.

Louis Kelemen

Great Read!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 29, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great Read!! Emily Wilson's understanding of what went down with Seneca 2000 years ago is mind blowing and (given the amount of research and attention to details in Emily Wilson's work) plausible.

"I can't wait to read your other books."

Louis Kelemen (lkelemen@cogeco.ca)

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