Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Dying Every Day

  • Seneca at the Court of Nero
  • By: James S. Romm
  • Narrated by: Paul Woodson
  • Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (9 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Dying Every Day

By: James S. Romm
Narrated by: Paul Woodson
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

James Romm seamlessly weaves together the life and written words, the moral struggles, political intrigue, and bloody vengeance that enmeshed Seneca the Younger in the twisted imperial family and the perverse, paranoid regime of Emperor Nero, despot and madman.

Romm writes that Seneca watched over Nero as teacher, moral guide, and surrogate father, and, at 17, when Nero abruptly ascended to become emperor of Rome, Seneca became, with Nero, the ruler of the Roman Empire. We see how Seneca was able to control his young student, how, under Seneca's influence, Nero ruled with intelligence and moderation, banned capital punishment, reduced taxes, gave slaves the right to file complaints against their owners, pardoned prisoners arrested for sedition. But with time, as Nero grew vain and disillusioned, Seneca was unable to hold sway over the emperor, and between Nero's mother, Agrippina, and Nero's father, how long could the young Nero have been contained?

Dying Every Day is a portrait of Seneca's moral struggle in the midst of madness and excess. As Nero's adviser, Seneca was presented with a more complex set of choices, as the only man capable of summoning the better aspect of Nero's nature, yet, remaining at Nero's side and colluding in the evil regime he created.

©2014 James Romm (P)2021 Tantor
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Nero cover art
The Sacred Band cover art
Tyrant cover art
How to Win an Election cover art
Breakfast with Seneca cover art
Caligula: The Third Emperor cover art
Discourses and Selected Writings cover art
Sparta cover art
Being Better cover art
The Count of Virtue cover art
Romanovs cover art
Nicholas II cover art
Nero cover art
Tiberius cover art
The Entire Life Story of Ivan the Terrible: A Ruthless Leader cover art
Roman Emperors cover art

What listeners say about Dying Every Day

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A suffering man.

A man who attempted to steer a powerful leader of massive faults and almost equally potential greatness. I love to think of the affection the two must have shared, even if their relationship ended in such catastrophic ways.
It is clear that the storyteller has a bias. Amazing look into the man, myth and controversial figure of Seneca, but somehow has no problem either believing or skipping over massive facts about Nero, the second main character in the story. Rightfully states Nero wasn’t even in Rome during the great fire and states his attempts to help the people, but no issue blindly trusting that he killed his second wife also.
Claims he died at age 32 even if he famously died at 30, but respectfully notes that Nero’s vindictiveness wasn’t a part of his younger years.
Also skips many facets of major importance for Nero, especially in the end at his downfall. Sort of selective focus, but I did hear details I had rarely heard before. Fortunately I know much about the late Emperor Nero, and the book overall was very insightful and fascinating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!