{"product_id":"how-to-cope-an-ancient-guide-to-enduring-hardship-9780691259161","title":"How to Cope: An Ancient Guide to Enduring Hardship","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA vivid and accessible new translation of essential selections from Boethius's \u003ci\u003eConsolation of Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e--a moving classic about facing life's worst events with courage and hope\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat do you do when your life has fallen apart? Fifteen hundred years ago, a Roman nobleman named Boethius (ca. 480-524 CE) asked this question as he was sitting in a prison cell waiting to die, accused--probably unjustly--of treason. Boethius had been a rich and powerful man with all a person could want in life, but now he had lost everything. Shaken, he wondered how such terrible misfortune could have happened to him and why life was so unfair. When Philosophy herself appears in his cell and confronts Boethius, the conversation that follows between the two on the nature of evil and why humans suffer is as powerful and inspiring today as it was to its first readers. In \u003ci\u003eHow to Cope\u003c\/i\u003e, Philip Freeman presents a lively modern translation of essential selections from Boethius's classic, complete with an introduction and the original Latin on facing pages. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis translation vividly captures Boethius's journey from bitterness and anger to reconciliation and peace, showing how ancient philosophy, especially Stoicism, can help readers deal with adversity in their own lives. The book reveals the qualities that have made \u003ci\u003eThe Consolation of Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e one of the most popular and influential works of classical and world literature, and an inspiration to countless writers, including Thomas Aquinas, Dante, and Chaucer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBoethius \u003c\/b\u003e(ca. 480-524 CE) was a Roman philosopher and statesman who lived under the rule of the Ostrogoths after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Accused of treason, he was imprisoned around 523 and tortured and executed in 524. He wrote \u003ci\u003eThe Consolation of Philosophy \u003c\/i\u003ewhile in prison awaiting his fate. \u003cb\u003ePhilip Freeman\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of more than thirty books on the ancient world, including \u003ci\u003eJulian: Rome's Last Pagan Emperor \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eSearching for Sappho: The Lost Songs and World of the First Woman Poet\u003c\/i\u003e. His other books include six previous volumes in Princeton's Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series, \u003ci\u003eHow to Tell a Story\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHow to Think about God\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHow to Be a Friend\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHow to Grow Old\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e How to Run a Country\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eHow to Win an Election\u003c\/i\u003e. He holds the Fletcher Jones Chair in Humanities at Pepperdine University.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51623992787218,"sku":"9780691259161","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_73902a3b-9887-446e-9e55-59fce500a734.jpg?v=1758651230","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/how-to-cope-an-ancient-guide-to-enduring-hardship-9780691259161","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}