In Consolation to His Wife

By Plutarch

Categories: Religion & Spirituality

This Penguin Great Ideas volume collects four essays by Plutarch, the Greek biographer and moralist, in Robin Waterfield's translation. The title piece is the letter he wrote to his wife on the death of their young daughter, urging restraint in grief and gratitude for the joy the child had brought. The other essays are On Being Aware of Moral Progress, On the Avoidance of Anger and On Contentment, reflections on recognizing improvement in character, mastering temper and finding peace of mind.

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• Ryan Holiday: “Grief and the relief of grief is a theme in Greek and Roman literature-some say meant more for publication than actual consolation-but that doesn't make them any less powerful.”