President David Hicks and his brother, C. Scot Hicks, have completed The Emperor’s Handbook, a translation of The Meditations, a book written by Marcus Aurelius in 167 A.D.
The translation is David Hicks’s second book and it evolved over a five-year correspondence, via e-mail, with his brother, who lives in Paris. Sometimes sending a dozen notes a day on the subject, Hicks said his brother and he used their similar interests and complementary strengths to complete the book. “The project began because I had read The Meditations several times and was unable to find a translation that did the book justice,” he said.
“Along with the Bible, Aurelius’s book is the perfect antidote for contemporary culture,” Hicks said. “More than any other book I know, it respects the reader and never compromises on what it expects from the reader, probably because the Emperor wrote it to himself and the book was never intended for publication.”
“As a headmaster for 22 years, I've often talked with students about Marcus, “he said. “I used to recommend that they take him to the beach with them in the summer. When I was teaching, I sometimes wanted to assign his book, but I could never find a translation they could read with pleasure. Marcus is a great book to read while you're young because his advice, although uncompromising, epitomizes our School's motto: ‘Wisdom more than knowledge.’ It tells you, simply and memorably, how to live a beautiful and happy life. What Marcus is saying challenges our modern assumptions about life and our self-indulgent attitudes about ourselves. That is where the challenge belongs. It shouldn't be a challenge to understand his language. I think this book will make Marcus accessible to a wide range of people, young and old, not just scholars, and they will both enjoy reading him and benefit from doing so.”
Victor Davis Hanson, professor of classics at California State University, said, “The new, accessible translation by Scot and David Hicks reflects far better the flavor of Marcus Aurelius’s own style. Americans should read Marcus, and this new edition now makes it a joy.”
Hicks said he is always working on literary projects, either with his wife or his brothers, but he does not consider himself a writer. He said, “A book is just a means of mastering an interesting or strange subject. If you can write a book about it, you can understand it. Sometimes your understanding might be worth sharing with others.”
The projects that Hicks works on, may or may not grow into books, but as he said about The Emperor’s Handbook, “The work itself was the reward; the book is just a by-product. It was pure fun.”
The book is now available in Darlington’s bookstore and will be available in all bookstores by Nov. 5.
