The Meditations: And a Selection from the Letters of Marcus and Fronto

by Marcus Aurelius, Marcus Cornelius Fronto, A.S.L. Farquharson (Translator)

Marcus Aurelius is one of the few rulers of empire whose writings have outlasted his practical achievements. His reign as Emperor of the Roman world (AD 161 to 280) was long remembered as a golden age in which the citizens enjoyed the gentle rule of a philosophic sage. The truth was of course not so simple. The 'Meditations' of Marcus' old age, composed while on campaign, give us exceptional access to his mind.

Contains the 1944 traduction of the Meditations by A.S.L. Farquharson and the 1989 traduction of a selection from the Letters of Marcus and Marcus Cornelius Fronto by R.B. Rutherford.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Roman, History

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise") was Emperor of the Roman Empire from 161 to his death in 180. He was the last of the "Five Good Emperors", and is also considered one of the more important Stoic philosophers. His two decades as emperor were marked by near continual warfare. He was faced with a series of invasions from German tribes, and by conflicts with the Parthian Empire in the east. His reign also had to deal with an internal revolt in the east, led by Avidius Cassius.

Marcus Aurelius' work Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered as a literary monument to a government of service and duty and has been praised for its "exquisite accent and its infinite tenderness."

Reviews

[Georgia Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and obviously very meditative. Given the context of who and when this was written, it's a book everyone should read ar some point in their lives.

However it's so dreadfully boring. I was barely able to make it through and it's a pretty short book.

Should the world ever end and humanity had to start over, this would be a great book to give to the new world so they can know how to treat each other.

[Fahad Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect Farquharson's awkward translation made this more of a slog than it should have been (although according to Rutherford's introduction Aurelius's original Greek was inelegant and awkward in the first place so maybe I'm being unfair)