Seneca

The Gourdification of Claudius the God has instant and lasting appeal. It is a uniquely surviving specimen of prose-and-verse satire from the Roman world - and satire a Roman speciality is one of the few types of ancient literature to survive and thrive in modern society. Its author Seneca was not only gifted with intellectual virtuosity but at the time of writing was the precarious power behind the throne of the dangerously developing Nero. Claudius the target of his malicious wit remains the most controversial of the first twelve imperial Caesars. The English version facing the text makes the work available to the general reader who may not have any Latin. The text which is based on a critical examination of all the manuscripts will be indispensable to scholars. The commentary which is the first on this scale to have been written in English is primarily addressed to university and other students.