Anger, Mercy, Revenge

The translation is certainly a great improvement over Rouse's Loeb (revised by Warmington) and also captures the work's 'flippant vulgarisms' better than P.T. Eden's 1984 translation. It is arguably Nussbaum's greatest accomplishment that her version is actually funny. . .Nussbaum's translations preserve various aspects of Seneca's poetic style, including self-parodies of his tragic diction and fondness for alliteration, but they are also, simply put, poetic. This is a beautifully produced book and virtually free of typographical errors. It is certainly a welcome addition to the existing English translations of Seneca's works, and the philosophically informed introductions, clear notes on the corrupt and lacuna-filled text, and suggested 'selected readings' make it one of the best places for make it one of the best places for students or non-specialists to go when beginning to approach Seneca. --Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada The translations strike that difficult balance between fidelity to the original and natural English idiom. Latinless readers will not be confused, philosophically minded readers will appreciate the citations, and classicists will find in the notes the discussion and arguments they may want to clarify the original....An admirable effort to bring Seneca to a wider audience. --Bryn Mawr Classical Review --Bryn Mawr Classical Review The translations are faithful and lively. . . . Although the translators take Seneca seriously as a moralizing philosopher, their introductions and annotations--though attentive to the literary and rhetorical qualities Seneca's writing displays--are not technical in terms of philosophy. Accordingly, they will be accessible to any intelligent reader. --Choice