The Consolation of Philosophy by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius
Boethius composed the De Consolatione Philosophiae in the sixth century AD whilst awaiting death under torture, condemned on a charge of treason which he protested was manifestly unjust. Though a convinced Christian, in detailing the true end of life which is the soul's knowledge of God, he consoled himself not with Christian precepts but with the tenets of Greek philosophy. This work dominated the intellectual world of the Middle Ages; writers as diverse as Thomas Aquinas, Jean de Meun, and Dante were inspired by it. In England it was rendered in to Old English by Alfred the Great, into Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer, and later Queen Elizabeth I made her own translation. The circumstances of composition, the heroic demeanour of the author, and the 'Menippean' texture of part prose, part verse have combined to exercise a fascination over students of philosophy and literature ever since.
An aristocratic scholar and philosopher and one of the most influential members of the court of the Ostrogoth ruler Theodoric, Boethius (born c. 480 AD) was arrested for alleged treason (which he denied). During his confinement in northern Italy, he wrote his masterpiece, The Consolation of Philosophy, a work in which he considers universal issues. Executed in about 526 AD. James Harpur was born in 1956 of Anglo-Irish parentage. He read Classics and then English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge. He is now a freelance writer living in Ireland, with three previous collections of poetry from Anvil. Author of Love Burning in the Soul: The Story of the Christian Mystics, from Saint Paul to Thomas Merton (Shambhala, 2005).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780192838834 |
| ISBN 10 | 0192838830 |
| Title | The Consolation of Philosophy |
| Author | Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 2000-03-01 |
| Number of pages | 240 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |