In this episode, I chat with Mark Forstater, the producer of over 30 films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He is the author of a number of books, including The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius, The Spiritual Teachings of Seneca, and The Living Wisdom of Socrates, as well as books on yogic philosophy and Daoism. His most recent book, The 7th Python: A Twat’s Tale, documents his experience of working with the Pythons, and a protracted legal battle that he found himself fighting, and winning, decades later.

Highlights

• How did you get into Marcus Aurelius and Seneca? What motivated you to adapt them for modern readers and what are the main ideas that you take from their writings?

• You’ve also written about Socrates, how do you feel he compares with the Stoics as a guide today?

• What, if anything, do you think that working in movies can teach us about how the mind works?

• Have you found Stoic ideas helpful during stressful periods in your own life? During your legal battles for example?

• Could you imagine there being another movie about Marcus Aurelius?

Links

• Goodreads profile

• The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius

• The Spiritual Teachings of Seneca

• The Living Wisdom of Socrates

• The 7th Python