Seneca
Which translation of Seneca’s Letters should you read?
Seneca wrote 124 letters to his friend Lucilius, and most popular editions give you only a selection. The first choice is whether you want the famous forty or so, or all of them.
The short answer
For a first read
Robin CampbellPenguin Classics, 1969Buy on AmazonAll 124 letters
Margaret Graver and A. A. LongUniversity of Chicago Press, 2015Buy on AmazonFree, right now
Richard Mott GummereFree on this site, 1917–25 Read free here
The main translations at a glance
| Translation | Closeness | English | Help | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robin Campbell1969 · Penguin Classics | Loose | Modern | Introduction | A first read |
| Margaret Graver and A. A. Long2015 · University of Chicago Press | Close to the Latin | Modern | Introduction and notes | All 124 letters |
| Elaine Fantham2010 · Oxford World’s Classics | Balanced | Modern | Introduction and notes | A selection, with notes |
| Richard Mott Gummere1917–25 · Free on this site | Close to the Latin | Mid-century | Text only | Reading free, right now |
The same lines in each translation
Judging from what you tell me and from what I hear, I feel that you show great promise.
Robin Campbell, 1969
From your letter and from what I hear, I am becoming quite hopeful about you: you are not disquieting yourself by running about from place to place.
Margaret Graver and A. A. Long, 2015
I have formed good expectations of you, both from what you write and from what I hear of your activities.
Elaine Fantham, 2010
Judging by what you write me, and by what I hear, I am forming a good opinion regarding your future.
Richard Mott Gummere, 1917–25 · Read on
The main translations in detail
- Buy on Amazon
Robin Campbell
Letters from a Stoic · Penguin Classics, 1969
Fluent, conversational English that reads like real correspondence, expanding Seneca’s compressed Latin into clear sentences. The most popular way in, but a selection, and light on notes.
A selection of 42 of the 124 letters, with an introduction; few notes.
Sources: The Stoic Shelf, Andrew Perlot, Penguin Random House
- Buy on Amazon
Margaret Graver and A. A. Long
Letters on Ethics · University of Chicago Press, 2015
The complete letters, translated by two leading scholars of Stoicism. Precise, with notes that explain the background, yet readable for general readers. The edition to own if you mean to read them all.
All 124 letters, with an introduction and notes. The same translation is also published as a shorter selection, Fifty Letters of a Roman Stoic (2021).
Sources: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2016.09.26, The Classical Review, University of Chicago Press blog, Andrew Perlot, The Stoic Shelf
- Buy on Amazon
Elaine Fantham
Selected Letters · Oxford World’s Classics, 2010
Oxford’s selection: a scholarly alternative to Campbell’s, with more help in the notes.
A selection of the letters, with an introduction and notes.
Sources: Oxford University Press
- Read free here
Richard Mott Gummere
Free on this site, 1917–25
The Loeb translation, made to sit beside the Latin: complete and accurate, though formal and sometimes stiff by today’s standards.
All 124 letters, every passage numbered and linkable.
Sources: Wikisource, The Stoic Shelf
Other translations you may come across
Sources
- The Stoic Shelf: Letters from a Stoic, which translation to buy
- Andrew Perlot: the best translations of Seneca’s letters and essays
- Penguin Random House: Letters from a Stoic, translated by Robin Campbell
- Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2016.09.26: Seneca, Letters on Ethics
- The Classical Review: Seneca’s letters in a new translation
- University of Chicago Press blog: Margaret Graver and A. A. Long on Seneca’s letters
- Oxford University Press: Selected Letters, translated by Elaine Fantham
- Wikisource: Moral letters to Lucilius (Gummere, Loeb)
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