Dying Every Day

Archival Summary & Scope

From acclaimed classical historian James Romm (*Ghost on the Throne*) comes a high-stakes drama centered on Seneca, ancient Rome's preeminent philosopher and writer. After banishment, Seneca becomes tutor to twelve-year-old Nero, future emperor of Rome, both under the manipulative sway of Nero's formidable mother, Agrippina.

Romm seamlessly weaves Seneca's life, philosophical writings, and moral struggles into the political intrigue and bloody vengeance of a twisted imperial family and Nero's perverse, paranoid regime. Seneca, never avid for power, finds himself co-ruler with Nero upon his abrupt ascension at seventeen. For a time, Seneca guides Nero to rule with intelligence and moderation, instituting progressive reforms.

However, as Nero grows vain and disillusioned, Seneca loses his hold. *Dying Every Day* chronicles Seneca's profound moral dilemma: remain at the tyrant's side, attempting to summon his better nature, or become complicit in the escalating evil. Seneca, a paragon of reason, watches his student spiral into madness, a descent marked by family murders, the Great Fire of Rome, and a brutal purge that decimated the Senate's brightest minds. This compelling and nightmarish account unveils the story of the philosopher-poet almost a king, tragically bound to a despot.