Robert Graves
Paperback | Pages: 468 pages Rating: 4.27 | 50844 Users | 2390 Reviews
Details Books Conducive To I, Claudius (Claudius #1)
| Original Title: | I, Claudius |
| ISBN: | 067972477X (ISBN13: 9780679724773) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Claudius #1 |
| Characters: | Nero (emperor), Caligula, Livia Drusa, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, Agrippina the Elder, Tiberius Claudius Caesar, Augustus, Valeria Messalina |
| Setting: | Rome(Italy) Italy Roman Empire |
| Literary Awards: | James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction (1934), Hawthornden Prize (1935), Audie Award for Audio Drama (2012) |
Narrative To Books I, Claudius (Claudius #1)
Into the 'autobiography' of Clau-Clau-Claudius, the pitiful stammerer who was destined to become Emperor in spite of himself, Graves packs the everlasting intrigues, the depravity, the bloody purges and mounting cruelty of the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius, soon to culminate in the deified insanity of Caligula. I, Claudius and its sequel, Claudius the God, are among the most celebrated, as well the most gripping historical novels ever written. Cover illustration: Brian PikePresent About Books I, Claudius (Claudius #1)
| Title | : | I, Claudius (Claudius #1) |
| Author | : | Robert Graves |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 468 pages |
| Published | : | October 23rd 1989 by Vintage (first published 1934) |
| Categories | : | Travel. Nonfiction. Humor. Autobiography. Memoir |
Rating About Books I, Claudius (Claudius #1)
Ratings: 4.27 From 50844 Users | 2390 ReviewsWrite-Up About Books I, Claudius (Claudius #1)
A fictional autobiography of a Roman Emperor23 February 2015 Well, here is another historical novel that I actually quite enjoyed, but that may be because, unlike most historical novels that deal with fictional characters placed in an historical time period, this deals with real characters, namely the Imperial Family from the establishment of the empire to the ascension of Claudius to the throne. As can be seen by the title, the main character is the emperor Claudius before he became emperorIt's generally accepted that I, Claudius is one of best Roman historical novels ever written. Given this, it has to be assumed that amount of research that Robert Graves did for this book would have to have been prodigious.Now, this is a novel and not an historical textbook. And if only half of it is accurate it's still a miracle that the Romans were able to create an Empire that would, to this very day, influence world history.The life of Claudius is told by Claudius, himself, as he reads his
There have been multiple periods of time in my life during which I developed a fascination for different historical families, usually of infamous repute. Elementary school was devoted to the Tudors, focusing heavily on the Princess Elizabeth, while middle through high school was preoccupied with the Borgias, an interest more balanced between its equally intriguing members. Every so often those fascinations will spark up again, and I will find myself consuming relevant impressively rendered
Absolutely one of the worst books I ever read. I will never understand its popularity. Historical fiction at its worst. No themes, no depth, no undertones. Graves simply regurgitates facts and characters from 1st Century Roman high society.
Robert Graves does a remarkable job bringing the various Caesars to life in this book. But, oddly enough, the least compelling Caesar is Claudius. That's crazy, because Claudius--due to his lameness, his stutter, and his assumed idiocy--managed to survive most of his family (and the reign of his insane nephew Caligula) to become emperor in 41 A.D. And he was a good emperor--definitely the best and most capable of the Caesars since Augustus. That makes Claudius a particularly enticing figure to
This thing is basically 'The Wire' in togas. It has much of the complex plotting, political positioning, warring and double crossing of that show, with a bit of incest and poisoning thrown in for good measure. A lot of poisoning actually. If the amount of poisoning in this book is at all historically accurate, then the Romans must have experienced the same abject terror sitting down to every meal, which we in modern life are thankfully now only exposed to when faced with no option but to use a
Things had to have been boring in ancient Rome with no TV, internet or video games. But after reading I, Claudius, I think that the average Roman citizens chief entertainment probably came from watching what the imperial family did to each other. There was the crime and intrigue of a show like The Sopranos. All the narcissism and betrayal of a season of a reality TV show. More sex than cable on-demand porn channels and enough family dysfunction to make Jerry Springers guests look classy. You
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