Seneca - On the Shortness of Life: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

By: Lucius Seneca, James Harris

Narrated by: Scott R. Smith

De Brevitate Vitae (frequently referred to as On the Shortness of Life in English) is a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger, a Roman Stoic philosopher, to his father-in-law Paulinus. The philosopher brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that men waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives man enough time to do what is really important and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time can be best used in the study of philosophy, according to Seneca.

This essay has been carefully adapted into a contemporary form.

©2016 James Harris (P)2016 James Harris

Greatness...This is a manual on being a Powerhouse

The narrator is very good and the update on language was a great idea. The words are updated to modern speech and modern usage.

The greatness of Seneca is timeless. It is an excellent buy for any reader of stoic work. I will buy a physical version for my young kids.

I will definitely listen to this again.

Very very thought-provoking!! Highly recommend for today's world experience. I will listen to this again and again.

Classical thinking, yet so appropriate today

Would you consider the audio edition of On the Shortness of Life to be better than the print version?

Sometimes we think we don't have time to read the writings of famous dead people from 2000 years ago. But, this audio version makes it so easy to listen to. It is performed well, and the content is still so relevant.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Awesome book

I really liked it. Short, but not too short. Lots of wisdom. Good audio. Reader voice is good. Highly recommended!

Great Narration, and Enlightening Story

What did you like best about this story?

This is the shorter edition of De Brevitate Vitae (a moral essay written by Seneca the Younger in 49 AD) and is adopted for the contemporary reader. Generally reading a philosophy book can be very challenging and especially Greek philosophy.It's usually very difficult for a contemporary reader to relate to the philosophy and the wisdom behind it, because the essay is written 2000 years ago. But fortunately On the Shortness of Life is written in a way that one can easily understand and learn. Overall it's a great read, it's short but it touches very important subjects, and I would have loved it if it was a bit longer.

What about Scott R. Smith’s performance did you like?

I really enjoyed the narration, and I'm looking forward to see more narrations by Scott R. Smith.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me think about the value of time, and how important it is to enjoy every moment of my life.

Any additional comments?

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.