Essential Marcus Aurelius

(Paperback)

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This inaugural - and all new - Tarcher Cornerstone Edition presents a stunningly relevant and reliable translation of the thoughts and aphorisms of the Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, properly placing the philosopher-king's writings within the vein of the world's great religious and ethical traditions. The late antique world possessed no voice like that of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE.) His private meditations on what constitutes a good life have withstood the centuries and reach us today with the same penetrating clarity and shining light as the words of Shakespeare, Emerson or Thoreau. In this remarkable new translation, best-selling religious philosopher, Jacob Needleman, and classics scholar, John P. Piazza, have retained the depth of Marcus' perspective on life. They have carefully selected and faithfully rendered those passages that clarify Marcus' role as someone who stood within the great religious and ethical traditions that extend throughout every culture in human history. The voice that emerges from their translation is a universal one, equally recognisable to students of Christ, Buddha, the Vedas, the Talmud and to anyone who sincerely searches for a way of meaning in contemporary life. This is another classic title in the 'Tarcher Cornerstone Edition' series, in which the great works of philosophy, spirituality and mind, body & spirit are presented for today's readers.

Author Bio

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus was Roman Emperor from 161 to his death in 180. He was the last of the 'Five Good Emperors' and is, also, considered one of the most important stoic philosophers. Jacob Needleman is a professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and the former director of the Center for the Study of New Religions at the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley.