How to Die

An Ancient Guide to the End of Life

By: Seneca, James S. Romm - introduction and translation

Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan

"It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die", wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD). He counseled readers to "study death always", and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca's remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James S. Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker and dazzling writer who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out.

Seneca believed that life is only a journey toward death and that one must rehearse for death throughout life. Here, he tells us how to practice for death, how to die well, and how to understand the role of a good death in a good life. He stresses the universality of death, its importance as life's final rite of passage, and its ability to liberate us from pain, slavery, or political oppression.

Featuring beautifully rendered new translations, How to Die also includes an enlightening introduction, notes, the original Latin texts, and an epilogue presenting Tacitus's description of Seneca's grim suicide.

Introduced, edited, and translated by James S. Romm

©2018 Princeton University Press (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Short easy read

This was a powerful, short and easy read. Filled with valuable lessons. Thought provoking and reflection. I truly enjoyed this book. Would recommend and reread.

Seneca

I enjoyed perception of the story. I’ve often said that were born to die so I guess I think Seneca I didn’t know that.

Excellent

Well don't and exactly what I needed to hear. This highlights many/most of Seneca's views on death, dying and suicide.

the narrator was good and the book well organized. Exactly the stoicism I needed.

Audio performance not great

The speaker’s voice sounded robotic and mispronounced the name of Seneca’s compatriots. Maybe I am wrong but I don’t think Marcia is pronounced “Mark-ia” or Lucilius as “Lu-kill-ius”.

A solid narrative performance!

Most clear intonation, although full of nuances. A true classic, both in content and execution.

Excellent content for Stoics

I enjoyed the content and learning about Seneca writings.
The narrator however, sounds like an AI generated voice. The content fortunately is worth listening to this book.

The reading is somewhat flat.

His voice can be somewhat dull and boring at times, however it was still a good purchase.

How to Live by Learning How to Die

How to Die is a guide on how to live and how to be free. James Romm has selected, translated, and provided context on Seneca’s works about death to help me live better and to prepare for death when it comes. I learned why I should not fear death, how not to have regrets, and how to live freely. He made Seneca’s words come alive.

I am working my way through this series of books. They are an excellent way to present different concepts in philosophy. Each book is a great way to learn about living and dying, leadership, controlling your emotions, and other ideas. They introduce me to different philosophers and point me in directions I would not have gone without such introductions.

The audible version enhanced the experience and made it easier to understand the concepts presented.

Great info but narration is lazy

The narration is very easy to start zoning out from. On top of that it gets confusing because he doesn't change his voice at all throughout so it's hard to know if he is reading a qoute or not. The wisdom is just good I'd say for most of it but the last chapter made me want to listen again I liked it so much.

My view of the rest of the book may change if I listen again but for now I'd say this is audiobook is worthy of 4 stars. There is good wisdom to ponder on and that's what makes suffering the narration worth it.

Book need more explanation but GOOD!

This book was great, but needs more in-depth explanation. Try other books to give you a further explanation of certain theories based upon the authors titles.