How to Be Content, Horace
How to Be Content, Horace
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How to Be Content
An Ancient Poet's Guide for an Age of Excess

Author: Horace, Stephen Harrison, Stephen Harrison

Narrator: P.J. Ochlan

Unabridged: 2 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/24/2020


Synopsis

What the Roman poet Horace can teach us about how to live a life of contentment

What are the secrets to a contented life? One of Rome's greatest and most influential poets, Horace (65–8 BCE) has been cherished by readers for more than two thousand years not only for his wit, style, and reflections on Roman society, but also for his wisdom about how to live a good life—above all else, a life of contentment in a world of materialistic excess and personal pressures. In How to Be Content, Stephen Harrison, a leading authority on the poet, provides fresh, contemporary translations of poems from across Horace's works that continue to offer important lessons about the good life, friendship, love, and death.

Living during the reign of Rome's first emperor, Horace drew on Greek and Roman philosophy, especially Stoicism and Epicureanism, to write poems that reflect on how to live a thoughtful and moderate life amid mindless overconsumption, how to achieve and maintain true love and friendship, and how to face disaster and death with patience and courage. From memorable counsel on the pointlessness of worrying about the future to valuable advice about living in the moment, these poems, by the man who famously advised us to carpe diem, or "harvest the day," continue to provide brilliant meditations on perennial human problems.

About Horace

Horace (65-8 BCE) was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Maddy

I am really enjoying this series from Princeton University Press, they are easy to read and understand Philosophy for the masses, and these books are a great introduction to some of the most influential philosophers of our history. The themes presented in the different books are still relevant to th......more

Goodreads review by Massimo

Yet another winning entry in Princeton Press' Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series. I must admit that I rarely read poetry, much preferring prose. But translator Stephen J. Harrison has done an excellent job at making the text come alive. Moreover, Harrison has connected the various poems themat......more

Goodreads review by Daniel

I love this series of books, as they are a fantastic and interesting way to dip into some of the ancient writers and the themes they engage with. This volume is another very good contribution. I had never read anything by Horace before, but the contributions in this volume are a helpful starting poi......more

Goodreads review by MP

Too short, too shallow and sometimes repetitive in its message. The themes covered are : Contentment, Love, Friendship and Death. Some verses were good but most of them were not . I didn't find Horace as great as I initially imagined.......more