English comedian and classicist Natalie Haynes would rather we not see “Ancient Rome as a toga party to which our invitation went astray.” An Ancient Guide to the Modern Life is her manifesto for the relevance of classics to the 21st century. In a similar vein her novel,The Amber Fury, brings teenage and Greek angst together in an Edinburgh classroom. Haynes takes to the stage to give us old tips for modern living. Let’s not forget that it was Cicero who said “one nail drives out another”. In conversation with Iain Sharp.

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