Philosopher, dramatist, rhetorician, Stoic and pragmatist, Seneca was one of the most contradictory figures in ancient Rome, embracing a stern ascetic morality while amassing a fortune under Nero and eventually committing suicide. This definitive biography reveals a life lived perilously in the gap between ideals and reality.

'Riveting . . . a fine biography.' - Tom Holland, Daily Telegraph

'Seneca's life is wonderfully retold here by the classicist Emily Wilson . . . unpicks his complex but likeable character with sympathy and insight.' - Christopher Hart, Sunday Times

'A brilliant biography . . . of a single, troubled and fascinating figure.' - Barbara Graziosi, Times Higher Education

'This clever and learned book is not just a study of a protean and conflicted individual. It is also intended as a lesson for our own times.' - Tim Whitmarsh, Literary Review

About the Author
Emily Wilson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Studies. She has a BA from Oxford in Classics, an MPhil, also from Oxford, in English Literature (1500-1660), and a PhD from Yale in Classics and Comparative Literature. Her first book was Mocked with Death: Tragic Overliving from Sophocles to Milton. Her second book was The Death of Sophocles: Hero, Villain, Chatterbox, Saint.