The Consolation of Philosophy (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) »

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (ca. AD 475-525) was born in Rome to an eminent aristocratic family whose members included two Roman emperors. When his father died, Boethius was adopted by the powerful, cultured, and noble family of Symmachus. He gradually ascended to political power, with the political pinnacle occurring with his appointment as Magister Officiorum or "Master of Offices." Shortly after his appointment, Boethius was tried and found guilty in absentia for treason. He was put to death, not before, however, having finished the work for which he is most famous.

While in prison awaiting a brutal execution, Boethius produced arguably the most famous work of early medieval philosophy and literature, the celebrated Consolation of Philosophy. In alternating sections of prose and poetry, Boethius describes the circumstances of his rapid fall from the upper echelons of society and power. In a conversation with lady Philosophy, Boethius discusses the perennial questions of human existence: the possibility of human happiness, the problem of evil, the vicissitudes of fortune in living well, the question of whether there is order in the universe, and the possibility of human freedom. The Consolation of Philosophy has survived as a brilliant work of Latin literature, and early English translations done by King Alfred the Great, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Queen Elizabeth I are still extant.