Illustrator Victor Juhasz on Marcus Aurelius and The Boy Who Would Be King

Mar 10, 2021

Victor Juhasz, an acclaimed illustrator for major publications like Rolling Stone and Time, discusses his artistic journey inspired by Marcus Aurelius. He shares insights into the creative process behind his new book, exploring themes of leadership, personal discipline, and mentorship. Juhasz reflects on how the dualities of childhood burdens and the weight of leadership shaped Aurelius’s character. The conversation also touches on the dynamics of family influences in artistic careers and the importance of self-reliance, all intertwined with Stoic philosophy.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Past Research

Ryan Holiday was surprised to learn Victor Juhasz had illustrated children's books on ancient Rome and Greece.
This prior experience proved invaluable for illustrating "The Boy Who Would Be King."

INSIGHT

Sadness in Youth

Victor Juhasz found a sadness and an "older soul" quality in young Marcus Aurelius's sculpted image.
This resonated with the inherent burden of leadership placed on Marcus as a child.

ANECDOTE

Early Discipline

Marcus Aurelius, as a boy, chose to sleep on a hard bed to avoid comfort.
This dedication to discipline impressed Victor and influenced his artistic portrayal.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

The Boy Who Would Be King

Ryan Holiday

Victor Juhasz

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Written and illustrated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 'The Little Prince' tells the story of a young prince who travels from his small home planet to Earth, encountering various characters that symbolize the absurdities and narrow-mindedness of grown-ups. The prince, who deeply loves a rose on his home planet, learns valuable lessons about the importance of human connections and the uniqueness of loved ones through his interactions with a fox and other characters. The story is a poignant reflection on life, human nature, and the importance of seeing with the heart rather than the eyes.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Charlie Mackesy

This graphic novel tells the story of a boy who, on a spring day, meets three animal friends—a mole, a fox, and a horse—as he journeys through the countryside. The story is a poignant exploration of universal lessons about life, including the importance of kindness, self-worth, and unconditional love. The characters, each with their own struggles and strengths, learn valuable lessons about courage, forgiveness, and the power of asking for help. The book is celebrated for its simple yet profound messages, beautiful illustrations, and its ability to resonate with readers of all ages.

Epictetus

This book compiles the complete surviving works of Epictetus, a prominent Stoic philosopher. It includes his Discourses, which were transcribed by his pupil Arrian, the Handbook (Enchiridion), a practical guide to moral self-improvement, and various Fragments. Epictetus's teachings focus on distinguishing between what is within our control and what is not, accepting nature's course, and living a virtuous life through rigorous self-discipline. Edited and translated by Robin Waterfield, this collection brings Epictetus's insights to modern readers on how to cope with various life challenges.

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is a series of private writings composed by Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome's greatest emperors, as he struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Written between 170 and 180 CE while on military campaigns, this work combines Stoic philosophy with personal observations on leadership, duty, mortality, and human nature. Through twelve books of intimate thoughts never intended for publication, Marcus Aurelius explores themes of self-improvement, resilience in the face of adversity, and living virtuously while accepting what cannot be changed.

Lives of the Stoics

The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

Ryan Holiday

Stephen Hanselman

This book presents the fascinating lives of twenty-six ancient Stoics, from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius, organized in digestible mini-biographies. It vividly brings to life the stories of key Stoic philosophers, such as Seneca, Epictetus, and Cicero, and demonstrates how their philosophies shaped their actions and legacies. The authors intertwine historical context with philosophical insights, making the book both educational and entertaining. It shows how Stoic principles can be applied to modern life, emphasizing virtues like Courage, Justice, Temperance, and Wisdom[1][3][5].

The Daily Stoic

366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living

Ryan Holiday

Stephen Hanselman

This book provides 366 meditations on Stoic wisdom, featuring new translations of passages from Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and other Stoic philosophers. Each day, readers are presented with a Stoic lesson explained in modern language, along with advice on how to apply these lessons in everyday life. The book is organized temporally and thematically across the twelve months of the year, making it a daily resource for practicing Stoicism[4][5][6].

Z is for Zeus

A Greek Mythology Alphabet

Helen L. Wilbur

Victor Juhasz

This book explores Greek mythology from A to Z, featuring colorful illustrations by Victor Juhasz. It covers a range of topics, from the gods and goddesses of Olympus to famous myths like the Trojan War. The book is designed for children aged 7-12 and includes detailed text alongside engaging rhymes.

G is for Gladiator

An Ancient Rome Alphabet

Victor Juhasz

Michael Shoulders

G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet provides an A-to-Z introduction to ancient Rome, covering its social, political, and civil customs. The book is illustrated by Victor Juhasz and written by Michael Shoulders, offering a comprehensive and engaging look at ancient Roman culture.

On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to his collaborator and illustrator for his new book The Boy Who Would Be King about the process of creating the art for the book, imposing discipline on yourself, how he was impacted by Marcus Aurelius’ story, and more.

Victor Juhasz is an artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and Esquire Magazine, and more. He has illustrated many books including G is for Gladiator: An Ancient Rome Alphabet and is for Zeus: A Greek Mythology Alphabet.

This episode is brought to you by Beekeeper’s Naturals, the company that’s reinventing your medicine with clean, effective products that actually work. Beekeepers Naturals has great products like Propolis Spray and B.LXR. As a listener of the Daily Stoic Podcast you can receive 15% off your first order. Just go to beekeepersnaturals.com/STOIC or use code STOIC at checkout to claim this deal.

This episode is also brought to you by The School of Greatness podcast. Go listen to School of Greatness, it’s an amazing show and Lewis is an engaging host who really wants to help people. Subscribe to The School of Greatness on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or visit lewishowes.com/podcast.

This episode is also brought to you by FitTrack, the best way to calculate your body’s composition accurately, reliably, and consistently. Every FitTrack smart scale uses advanced algorithms to offer insights into 17 different metrics indicative of bodily health. Go to fittrack.com/stoic to take 50% off your order, plus get an additional 30% with code BUILD30 at checkout.

This episode is brought to you by Blinkist, the app that gets you fifteen-minute summaries of the best nonfiction books out there. Blinkist lets you get the topline information and the most important points from the most important nonfiction books out there, whether it’s Ryan’s own The Daily Stoic, and more. Go to blinkist.com/stoic, try it free for 7 days, and save 25% off your new subscription, too.

***

If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better.

Follow @DailyStoic:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dailystoic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/dailystoic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailystoic

Follow Victor Juhasz:

Homepage: https://juhaszillustration.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/juhaszillos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juhaszillustration

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.