by Lucius Annaeus Seneca translated by Miriam Griffin and Brad Inwood
University of Chicago Press, 2011 Paper: 978-0-226-21222-7 | eISBN: 978-0-226-74829-0 | Cloth: 978-0-226-74840-5 Library of Congress Classification PA6661.D213 2011 Dewey Decimal Classification 177.7
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist, statesman, and advisor to the emperor Nero, all during the Silver Age of Latin literature. The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca is a fresh and compelling series of new English-language translations of his works in eight accessible volumes. Edited by world-renowned classicists Elizabeth Asmis, Shadi Bartsch, and Martha C. Nussbaum, this engaging collection restores Seneca—whose works have been highly praised by modern authors from Desiderius Erasmus to Ralph Waldo Emerson—to his rightful place among the classical writers most widely studied in the humanities.
On Benefits, written between 56 and 64 CE, is a treatise addressed to Seneca’s close friend Aebutius Liberalis. The longest of Seneca’s works dealing with a single subject—how to give and receive benefits and how to express gratitude appropriately—On Benefits is the only complete work on what we now call “gift exchange” to survive from antiquity. Benefits were of great personal significance to Seneca, who remarked in one of his later letters that philosophy teaches, above all else, to owe and repay benefits well.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Miriam Griffin is emeritus fellow in ancient history at Somerville College, Oxford. She is the author of Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics and Seneca on Society: a Guide to “De Beneficiis”, among other books. Brad Inwood is professor of philosophy and classics at Yale University. He is the author of Reading Seneca: Stoic Philosophy at Rome, among other books.
REVIEWS
“Griffin and Inwood’s work breathes new life into Seneca's essential text, which has been neglected for too long.”
— Bryn Mawr Classical Review
“The translation is excellent: Seneca’s Latin is not easy, and the translators successfully turn it into English that is true to the Latin and enjoyable to read.”
— Choice
“Beautifully introduced and translated by Griffin and Inwood. . . . [On Benefits] reveals much about how elite members of Roman society interacted and what they regarded as important.”
— America
“An excellent volume in every way. Seneca’s essay has a potential interest for readers going far beyond scholars and students of ancient philosophy, and all those involved have, clearly, made every attempt to make this volume highly accessible and informative. I can think of no translators better qualified to tackle this text, and the end product entirely justifies their efforts.”
— Phronesis
“[Griffin and Inwood’s translation] is elegant, flowing, and for the most part highly readable. . . . Ultimately, the beauty of Seneca’s text is his alone, and one must enjoy his style, rhetorical twists, and intricacy of thought in the original. But for those who cannot, Griffin and Inwood’s translation is the next best thing!”
— Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Seneca and His World
Translator’s Introduction
On Benefits
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Notes
Textual notes
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
by Lucius Annaeus Seneca translated by Miriam Griffin and Brad Inwood
University of Chicago Press, 2011 Paper: 978-0-226-21222-7 eISBN: 978-0-226-74829-0 Cloth: 978-0-226-74840-5
Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BCE–65 CE) was a Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist, statesman, and advisor to the emperor Nero, all during the Silver Age of Latin literature. The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca is a fresh and compelling series of new English-language translations of his works in eight accessible volumes. Edited by world-renowned classicists Elizabeth Asmis, Shadi Bartsch, and Martha C. Nussbaum, this engaging collection restores Seneca—whose works have been highly praised by modern authors from Desiderius Erasmus to Ralph Waldo Emerson—to his rightful place among the classical writers most widely studied in the humanities.
On Benefits, written between 56 and 64 CE, is a treatise addressed to Seneca’s close friend Aebutius Liberalis. The longest of Seneca’s works dealing with a single subject—how to give and receive benefits and how to express gratitude appropriately—On Benefits is the only complete work on what we now call “gift exchange” to survive from antiquity. Benefits were of great personal significance to Seneca, who remarked in one of his later letters that philosophy teaches, above all else, to owe and repay benefits well.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Miriam Griffin is emeritus fellow in ancient history at Somerville College, Oxford. She is the author of Seneca: A Philosopher in Politics and Seneca on Society: a Guide to “De Beneficiis”, among other books. Brad Inwood is professor of philosophy and classics at Yale University. He is the author of Reading Seneca: Stoic Philosophy at Rome, among other books.
REVIEWS
“Griffin and Inwood’s work breathes new life into Seneca's essential text, which has been neglected for too long.”
— Bryn Mawr Classical Review
“The translation is excellent: Seneca’s Latin is not easy, and the translators successfully turn it into English that is true to the Latin and enjoyable to read.”
— Choice
“Beautifully introduced and translated by Griffin and Inwood. . . . [On Benefits] reveals much about how elite members of Roman society interacted and what they regarded as important.”
— America
“An excellent volume in every way. Seneca’s essay has a potential interest for readers going far beyond scholars and students of ancient philosophy, and all those involved have, clearly, made every attempt to make this volume highly accessible and informative. I can think of no translators better qualified to tackle this text, and the end product entirely justifies their efforts.”
— Phronesis
“[Griffin and Inwood’s translation] is elegant, flowing, and for the most part highly readable. . . . Ultimately, the beauty of Seneca’s text is his alone, and one must enjoy his style, rhetorical twists, and intricacy of thought in the original. But for those who cannot, Griffin and Inwood’s translation is the next best thing!”
— Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Seneca and His World
Translator’s Introduction
On Benefits
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Book 7
Notes
Textual notes
Bibliography
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE