The Consolation of Philosophy of Boethius

The Consolation of Philosophy was written in AD 523 during a one-year imprisonment Boethius served while awaiting trial - and eventual execution - for the alleged crime of treason under the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great. Boethius was at the very heights of power in Rome and was brought down by treachery. This experience inspired the text, which reflects on how evil can exist in a world governed by God (the problem of theodicy), and how happiness can be attainable amidst fickle fortune, while also considering the nature of happiness and God. It has been described as "by far the most interesting example of prison literature the world has ever seen.