boethius wrote the consolation of philosophy

And in an introduction intended for the general reader, Seth Lerer places Boethius’s life and achievement in context. In an artful combination of verse and prose, Slavitt captures the energy and passion of the original. Composed while its author was imprisoned, cut off from family and friends, it remains one of Western literature’s most eloquent meditations on the transitory nature of earthly belongings, and the superiority of things of the mind.

480–524), an Imperial official under Theodoric, Ostrogoth ruler of Rome, found himself, in a time of political paranoia, denounced, arrested, and then executed two years later without a trial. Boethius best-known work is the 'Consolations of Philosophy' written during his imprisonment 'by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.' It is a dialogue between Philosophy and Boethius, in which the Queen of Sciences strives to console the fallen statesman. Those less familiar with Consolation may remember it was written under a death sentence. The result is a major contribution to the art of translation.

His prose translations are lively and colloquial, conveying the argumentative, occasionally bantering tone of the original, while his verse translations restore the beauty and power of Boethius’s poetry. Slavitt preserves the distinction between the alternating verse and prose sections in the Latin original, allowing us to appreciate the Menippian parallels between the discourses of literary and logical inquiry. Slavitt presents a graceful, accessible, and modern version for both longtime admirers of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature and those encountering it for the first time. In this highly praised new translation of Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, David R.

Boethius wrote the consolation of philosophy