Discourses and Selected Writings

Jan 1, 2026 3:05 PM

Author:Epictetus,Robert Dobbin,Robert Dobbin

The Discourses/Fragments/Enchiridion

'I must die. But must I die bawling?'

Epictetus, a Greek Stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicopolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil. The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature. In this personal, practical guide to the ethics of Stoicism and moral self-improvement, Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, illness and fear, family, friendship and love.

Translated and Edited with an Introduction by Robert Dobbin

Reviews

Shockingly irreverent and funny while exerting that all-important emotional tug... A well-plotted, unexpectedly twisting saga

—— Guardian

Kaui Hart Hemmings' assured touch and her fine grasp of the absurd ensures that this novel steers a deliciously scenic route between heartbreak and hilarity

—— Daily Mail

Gripping and funny... A brave and intelligent novel

—— Sunday Telegraph

An assured and subtle writer. The islands rise lush and untamed in the background

—— Observer

Utterly original and absolutely compelling... a fantastic first novel

—— Geoff Dyer

A panoramic tragicomedy about the transience of life...a sensitive, unsentimental vision that is often peppered with comic barbs...treads the fragile thread between heartbreak and humour, announcing Kaui Hart Hemmings as a writer of prodigious gifts

—— Time Out

Full of dark humour and astute observations, this is a deftly written rumination on the meaning of family and ancestry

—— Big Issue

A darkly funny debut... a sharp story of emotional and sexual awakening in idyllic Hawaii

—— Metro

The subject matter may be heated but Hemmings avoids schmaltz at every turn. Even Joanie's death-bed scene is flooded with well-judged comedy. An engaging comic debut about a middle-aged man's attempts to navigate a far from scenic route home

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

Hemmings' quirkily assured touch, her grasp of the absurd and the lush Hawaiian setting ensures this novel's balance between heartbreak and hilarity

—— Marie Claire

Terrific debut… a closely observed study of human frailty

—— Mail on Sunday

An unsentimental tragicomedy, whose somewhat hopeless male protagonist is so believable that it's a surprise to discover his creator is young, female and only on her first novel

—— Dazed and Confused

A genuine panoramic, 3D, surround-sound, total-immersion, thrill-factor ten miracle - it is the kind of book that you just don't want to end! ... Engrossing, action-packed ... Very highly recommended

—— SFRevu

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