REVIEWED BY CHUCK CHAKRAPANI

“David Fideler has done an admirable job of summarizing Seneca for the modern reader.”

David Fidler is a writer, philosopher, and the editor of the Stoic Insights website. Born in the United States, he currently lives in Sarajevo with his wife and son.

David Fideler’s new book Breakfast With Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living published by W. W. Norton is a systematic summary to Seneca’s 124 moral letters (Epistulae Morales) and his other Stoic writings.

What is in this book?

Fideler’s exposition revolves around exploring the parellels between life in Seneca’s and our times and showing how Seneca’s advice is as relevant today as when it was first written. In making Seneca relevant to modern life, Fideler draws from his own expereinces, the experiences of others and modern scientific and social research.

Breakfast With Seneca is mainly based on Seneca’s letters although the author also draws liberally from the other works of Seneca. Fideler divides Seneca’s thoughts into fourteen major themes which, taken together, describe a life worth living. The fourteen themes are

1. Valuing friendship
2. Valuing time
3. Overcoming worry and anxiety
4. Dealing with anger
5. The irrelevance of where you are
6. Dealing with adversity
7. Living complaint-free
8. Surviving poverty and wealth
9. The ties that bind
10. Being authentic
11. Overcoming the fear of death
12. Dealing with grief
13. Valuing love and gratitude
14. Being free, tranquil and joyful

David Fideler devotes a chapter to each of the major themes. Each chapter has several quotes from Seneca and other Stoics.

Seneca’s writings

Seneca’s Stoic writings are vibrant, extensive, and practical. Yet none of the prominent Stoics who came after him (such as Musonius Rufus, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius) quote him or even acknowledge him in passing. In recent times there have been several translations and interpretations of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and Epictetus’ Discourses and Encheiriion. Yet, in the past one hundred years, there has been only one (maybe two) translation of Seneca’s complete letters, although there are many partial translations.

So a lay reader doesn’t have many sources to read Seneca’s letters in full. And there is no systematic summary of Seneca’s Stoic thinking either. (To be sure there are some excellent academic books, but they are usually high priced and less easily accessible to most readers.) This makes Breakfast with Seneca is a much-needed book.

Bringing Seneca to the modern reader

Bringing Seneca’s Stoic writings to lay readers in a systematic way is not an easy task. First, one has to read and digest all 124 letters, group them in a logical way, relate the themes of the Letters, other writings of Seneca and other Stoics. David Fideler who has had “breakfast with Seneca” (that is, read Seneca over breakfast for over a decade) has done an admirable job of summarizing Seneca’s writings to the modern reader. This is not a hastily written book. What we see is a digested version of Seneca’s letters.

David Fideler has done an admirable job of summarizing Seneca for the modern reader

Breakfast With Seneca fills that gap in modern Stoic literature. Every modern Stoic should have this book on their reading list and preferably own a copy

 

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