Appreciation …

… We owe a great deal to the Roman poet Seneca, Dana Gioia says. 

(Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Under Nero’s predecessor Claudius, Seneca was exiled to the island of Corsica. It was a generally miserable experience, but Seneca apparently made use of his enforced leisure by writing plays, likely including one entitled Hercules furens, or The Madness of Hercules. Poet Dana Gioia has published a new translation under the general title of Seneca: The Madness of Hercules. It’s an excellent work, not only for the quality of the translation but also for the outstanding introduction to Seneca, his life and work, and his lasting influence.