Selected Letters (Oxford World's Classics) 1st Edition

If you feel lost and everything feels empty, if you feel that everybody is crazy and public opinion is just full of garbage this is the book you need. Seneca is the best realist philosopher who provides information on being a good man and finding joy in life at the same time.

good

Elaine Fantham is a very knowledgeable scholar in this field, and the book's very insightful introduction and notes reflects her knowledge. The introduction provides a rich contextual background for the letters, and the notes make valuable contributes which sometimes instantly clarify points of confusion. Each letter is also preceded by a short summary of the central doctrines. As a student, I found the summaries a very helpful and accurate guide to my readings.I do not personally read Latin, but my professor, D.S Hutchinson, who has worked with Latin texts for many years spoke highly of the translation, stating that it is revealing, artistic and accurate.My only complain for the text is that it is not a complete collection of Seneca's letters. This is an unfortunate lack for such a worthwhile book, but even so, the 80 letters that form this collection are all quality pieces.

I believe there are several good options for a modern collection of Seneca's letters. Sadly (at least in my view) they are all selections, not the complete collection. The language in the OxClassics edition is very modern and informal—it perfectly captures the intimacy and energy of the original energies, as well as their occasional play with language and ideas. Highly recommended, even if you're approaching Seneca for the first time. -Ryan Mease

I love the accessibility of the translation, but whoever curated the letters really dropped the ball. They substituted some of the best, and in my opinion, most important letters for (again, my opinion) unnecessary letters.

I love Seneca but the author of this volume impresses her personality on the text too much, and her commentary on the letters is appalling. I can say for sure that I'm not interested in her opinions of Seneca very much and I'm not sure why Oxford included them. She scarcely seems to understand him or what the letters are about. You're better off reading the translations available on wiki source.