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The New York Times Book Review - Bettany Hughes The central question of James Romm's Dying Every Day is this: When we confront this tragic Roman wordsmith, tutor to the emperor Nerowho stares back at us Is ita tyrant-teacher Is he the ultimate exemplar of Stoicism, a would-be philosopher king Or is Seneca simply an accretion of history, a phantom constructed to fit our ravening for heroes, for antiheroes and for the sensational in the stories of antiquity Teasing out these conundrums, Rommgives us a fresh and empathetic exploration of a man who, tantalizingly, seems destined to stay just out of reachRomm avoids a common trap; he does not judge Seneca with hindsight, but inhabits his life as it plays out.