ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BEST NATURE BOOKS OF 2020 SHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES SOCIETY & WHITE HORSE BOOKSHOP LITERARY PRIZE 'Lovely: full of fascinating detail and anecdote, but the undertow of the virus moving in real time beneath its sunlit surface gives it a unique emotional heft.' -The Times 'A literary window into the wonderful wild world during lockdown... a charming book.' -Daily Mail 'An entrancing testament to nature's power to restore us to ourselves.' -Ruth Padel Nature took on a new importance for many people when the coronavirus pandemic arrived, providing solace in a time of great anxiety - not least because the crisis struck at the beginning of spring, the season of light, growth, rebirth and renewal. Three writers, close friends but living in widely separated, contrasting parts of the country, resolved to record their experiences of this extraordinary spring in intimate detail, to share with others their sense of the wonder, inspiration and delight the natural world can offer. The Consolation of Nature is the story of what they discovered by literally walking out from their front doors.

In strikingly powerful prose, spare and immediately accessible, Ms. Martin draws readers into the lives of people who crave fulfillment and the paths they travel in their quest.

Reproduction of the original: The Theological Tractates and The Consolation of Philosophy by Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius

Old age is a time of losses- permanent, cumulative and irreversible. These losses include our loss of work in retirement, the eclipse of our past, our biological decline, dependency resulting from such decline, the foreshortening of our future, the abandonment of belief in our own improvement and our society’s progress, and, of course, our death. This book views these losses as part of an elegy of old age. Elegy is a poetic or prose mourning of loss. Sadness and other emotions result. With elegiac understanding we detach ourselves from these losses to seek and find consolation. This book is concerned with achieving intellectual detachment through meditative reflection with the help of reading and appreciating the classics. The final stage of the old age elegy- consolation can be found, at least in part, within the classics-“the garlands of repose”. The classics are broadly defined by Matthew Arnold as: “the best that [has} been thought and said: { or found in the fine arts}. To benefit from the classis requires a life-long liberal education. This education begins with an introduction to the classics in youth, makes use of them during our adult lives, and supplies their conclusion for old age meditation. Such significant works enable us to place the losses we suffer within an intellectual framework of perennial ideas. It is by means of such an intellectual framework that we secure consolation in old age. Classic works familiarize us deeply with the losses and emotions we endure-suggest substitutes for the goods of the life we have lost in old age, offer opportunities of catharsis for the sadness we experience and help us transform ourselves in old age. Classics help us see old age and its losses as part of a complete life which hold a unique value of its own, while remaining part of larger nature processes, history and intellectual traditions.

At the heart of 'The Consolation of Philosophy (3 Classic Translations by James, Cooper and Sedgefield)' lies a profound exploration of fate, free will, and the human pursuit of eternal truths, articulated through the divergent lenses of three seminal translations. These versions illuminate the intricate tapestry of Boethius' late antique philosophy, serving as a testament to the enduring appeal and interpretative flexibility of his magnum opus. The collection showcases a rich diversity in literary approaches, revealing the nuanced ways in which language, cultural context, and philosophical outlook can shape the reception of a timeless classic. The selected translations stand as notable achievements in their own right, each contributing a unique voice to the polyphonic dialogue surrounding Boethius' work. The anthology is underpinned by the extensive expertise of Ancius Manlius and Severinus Boethius, whose lives, intersecting the fading light of the Roman Empire and the dawning of the Medieval era, offer invaluable perspectives on the transition of Western thought. Their individual and collective experiences, deeply entwined with the socio-political upheavals and intellectual currents of their time, provide a rich backdrop against which to frame and understand the included translations. This convergence of historical context, philosophical depth, and literary expression presents readers with an unmatched opportunity to engage with 'The Consolation of Philosophy' across multiple dimensions. Educators, students, and enthusiasts of philosophical literature are especially encouraged to explore this collection, not only as a means to deepen their understanding of Boethius' legacy but also to appreciate the dynamic interplay between translation, interpretation, and cultural transmission. Through its celebration of intellectual diversity and its invitation to comparative analysis, the collection fosters a deeper, more nuanced appreciation of one of philosophy's most enduring works.

Written while Boethius was in prison awaiting execution, The Consolation of Philosophy consists of a dialogue in alternating prose and verse between the author, lamenting his own sorrows, and a majestic woman, who is the incarnation of his guardian Philosophy. The woman develops a modified form of Neoplatonism and Stoicism, demonstrating the unreality of earthly fortunes, then proving that the highest good and the highest happiness are in God, and reconciling the apparent contradictions concerning the existence of everything.

In preparing the text of the Consolatio I have used the apparatus in Peiper’s edition (Teubner, 1871), since his reports, as I know in the case of the Tegernseensis, are generally accurate and complete; I have depended also on my own collations or excerpts from various of the important manuscripts, nearly all of which I have at least examined, and I have also followed, not always but usually, the opinions of Engelbrecht in his admirable article, Die Consolatio Philosophiae des Boethius in the Sitzungsberichte of the Vienna Academy, cxliv. (1902) 1–60. Aeterna Press

Written in the sixth century, The Consolation of Philosophy was one of the most popular and influential works of the Middle Ages. Boethius composed the masterpiece while imprisoned and awaiting the death sentence for treason. The Christian author had served as a high-ranking government official before falling out of favor with Roman Emperor Theodoric, an Arian. In the Consolation, Boethius explores the true end of life-knowledge of God-through a conversation with Lady Philosophy. Part prose, part poetry, the work combines Greek philosophy and Christian faith to formulate answers to some of life's most difficult and enduring questions.

Consolation of Philosophy (Latin: Consolatio Philosophiae) is a philosophical work by Boethius, written around the year 524. It has been described as the single most important and influential work in the West on Medieval and early Renaissance Christianity, and is also the last great Western work of the Classical Period. Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius, commonly called Boethius (c. 480–524 or 525 AD), was a philosopher of the early 6th century. He was born in Rome to an ancient and prominent family which included emperors Petronius Maximus and Olybrius and many consuls. His father, Flavius Manlius Boethius, was consul in 487 after Odoacer deposed the last Western Roman Emperor. Boethius, of the noble Anicia family, entered public life at a young age and was already a senator by the age of 25. Boethius himself was consul in 510 in the kingdom of the Ostrogoths. In 522 he saw his two sons become consuls. Boethius was imprisoned and eventually executed by King Theodoric the Great, who suspected him of conspiring with the Eastern Roman Empire. While jailed, Boethius composed his Consolation of Philosophy, a philosophical treatise on fortune, death, and other issues. The Consolation became one of the most popular and influential works of the Middle Ages.

Boethius' best-known work is the "Consolations of Philosophy" written during his imprisonment -- "by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen." It is a dialogue between Philosophy and Boethius, in which the Queen of Sciences strives to console the fallen statesman. The main argument of the discourse is the transitoriness and unreality of all earthly greatness and the superior desirability of the things of the mind. There are evident traces of the influence of the Neo-Platonists, especially of Proclus, and little, if anything, that can be said to reflect Christian influences.