How to Be Content - (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers) by Horace (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The Roman poet Horace (65-8 BC) has long been read as a wise and pragmatic guide to living a good life. Writing at the very moment when Rome was transitioning from a republic to an empire, Romans found the advice in his poems appealing: live quietly and non-extravagantly amid the excesses of a materialistic society, avoid extreme emotions of any kind as psychologically damaging, place a value on friendship of all kinds, do not be afraid of death, and most famously live every day to the full as tomorrow may never come (carpe diem). But above all else, Horace advocated a life of contentment and self-sufficiency"--

Book 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.

Featuring translations of, and commentary on, complete poems from Horace's Odes, Satires, Epistles, and Epodes, accompanied by the original Latin, How to Be Content is both an ideal introduction to Horace and a compelling book of timeless wisdom.

Review Quotes

"[How to Be Content] shines a light on the philosophical core of the great poet's [Horace] writing. . . . Stephen Harrison translates excerpts beautifully in modern English."---Steven Gambardella, The Sophist

"[A]n elegant little volume."---Ron Charles, Washington Post

"Fantastic . . . a long and wonderfully informed conversation with [Horace]."---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters

"This book is a delight. . . . This should be in the pocket of every lover of Latin literature, and especially of Horace."---Peter Jones, Classics for All

About the Author

Stephen Harrison is Professor of Latin Literature at the University of Oxford, where he is also a fellow of Corpus Christi College. His books include The Cambridge Companion to Horace. He lives in Oxford.