- Paperback: 752 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (3 Jun 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141181486
- ISBN-13: 978-0141181486
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.8 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,152,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Claudius, the stammerer, was known as a buffoon and a pitiful fool. He made it his business to watch from the sidelines and record the antics, funny, violent and lustful, of the imperial households as its members vied with each other for power. Then he found himself Emperor. From the great days of Augustus and the cruelties of Tiberius to the deified insanity of Caligula, he records a story breathtaking in its murderousness, greed and folly. Throughout the swings of fortune, his own disastrous love affair with the depraved Messalina and surprisingly successful reign, his voice sometimes puzzled, sometimes rueful, always sane, speaks to us across the centuries in two great, classical historical novels.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fantastic - divine even! Graves has written a fantastic pair of novels here, to the standard of Claudius himself, as the level of detail given is absolutely astounding.
His portrayal of the traits of every character is flawless, giving the reader a most vivid picture of the character while reading.
Yet this level of sophistication of the facts is not echoed in the actual writing, as this book is accessible to anyone, whether or not they have an interest in that particular period in history.
Someone once said (can't remember who!) - 'If a book is worth reading, it is worth buying' - "I, Claudius" is certainly a book which anyone should have in their collection.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Robert Graves' Claudius novels are a fantastic rendering of Roman life. It is sometimes difficult to keep up in the early parts of 'I, Claudius' because of the complexity of Claudius' family structure (which Graves does not shy away from explaining to the full!). However, once the family tree is out of the way, and a couple of relatively uninteresting wars have been fought, you're on to an engrossing read, filled with twists and turns.
Caligula's excesses make particularly entertaining reading, whilst providing modern readers with a stark portrait of what excessive power can lead to.
If you survive the first 150 pages without falling asleep, you're there. This jewel of a book is definitely worth the archaelogical dig!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
How can a man, writing 1900 years after the event, with all the intervening history between, the rise and fall of great empires, nations and peoples transpiring, living in an age, so unlike any other that has preceded it, of modernity, of the motor car, of mass transport, of radio and advertisements, of mass democracy and mass culture be able to recreate a feel of one of the great civilizations of Antiquity, and to put living words into mouths of people long dead and have them not seem contrived or ridiculously grand and unreal, to not be blinded and dumbed by the reverence for the subject the passing of time usually bestows, to not be tempted into a petty judgemental posture of insance acts and grotesque gestures? I don't know. But Robert Graves achieves something I did not think possible anymore.
I have read the classics only in translation, and therefore I can only comment on what I know: there is a style and power to much of the classics that escapes many modern novels. Thousands of years later they are still more alive than much that can be read now, printed only last month. Robert Graves manages to achieve that same feel of directness, simplicity and power of Classical writing, which, in theory, should be so simple, but is actually extremely difficult.He gives us the dust of the Roman Empire, the flickering light of torches lighting marble corridors, and human interactions that decided the destiny of millions.
Written in the 1930s, the books, aside from their great artistic merit, have a profound and deeply moving message about the nature of tyranny and the people who uphold it. There is even a portrait of Caligula which is not entirely without sympathy (and some great comic scenes).
The reader warms to the narrator, Claudius, and the novel's plot is very interesting and at times gripping.
From my reading of Twentieth Century Literature these works along with Graves' other, Count Belisarius, as amongst the very greatest; and an incredible achievement.
I have read the classics only in translation, and therefore I can only comment on what I know: there is a style and power to much of the classics that escapes many modern novels. Thousands of years later they are still more alive than much that can be read now, printed only last month. Robert Graves manages to achieve that same feel of directness, simplicity and power of Classical writing, which, in theory, should be so simple, but is actually extremely difficult.He gives us the dust of the Roman Empire, the flickering light of torches lighting marble corridors, and human interactions that decided the destiny of millions.
Written in the 1930s, the books, aside from their great artistic merit, have a profound and deeply moving message about the nature of tyranny and the people who uphold it. There is even a portrait of Caligula which is not entirely without sympathy (and some great comic scenes).
The reader warms to the narrator, Claudius, and the novel's plot is very interesting and at times gripping.
From my reading of Twentieth Century Literature these works along with Graves' other, Count Belisarius, as amongst the very greatest; and an incredible achievement.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Claudius speaks clear
Robert Graves has written, in these two novels, a stunning portrait of Claudius and of the Roman world. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Klaatu
I, Claudius/Claudius The God. Robert Graves - Historic fiction at its...
Why bother going to the trouble of inventing a decent plot and characters when history has already done it for you? Read more
Published 24 months ago by Victor
I Claudius and Claudius the God
It was good having the 2 books in one - enjoyed it very much, having also seen the TV series.
Published on 25 Nov 2009 by Mrs. M. Key
The best historical fiction ever.
Robert Graves mastered the art of writing historical fiction in a way the reader identified with the main character, Claudius, and grow sympathy for this Roman scholar who became... Read more
Published on 1 Aug 2009 by T. R. Caris
amazing
Aside from the incredible amount of scholarship that has gone into this book, it is extremely entertaining. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2007 by a nice guy who likes reading
"How many twisted stories remain to be straightened out?"
In I, Claudius, Robert Graves creates the first person narrative of Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, known in Roman history as Claudius, widely regarded as an idiot. Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2006 by Mary Whipple
Among the best books I have ever read.
This book was more or less the first I read on Roman history, and it has set off a thirst for Ancient Rome that had led to half a dozen more purchases (none of which can compare to... Read more
Published on 1 Oct 2006 by Tim Riding
Superb
Robert Graves writes a majestic, hilarious and moving portrayal of ancient Rome extending from the benevolent reign of Augustus, through the tyranny of Tiberius and the insanity of... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2003 by Greystones113
This book has everything!
This book is the book that got me interested in Roman history. Written by historian Robert Graves, he weaves the known facts about the period into a fascinating story. Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2001
Fascinating books, slow in places but well worth the effort
I greatly enjoyed these 2 books. The first book took a while to get into, and there are areas in both the books where it was a struggle to read, but these were the parts where... Read more
Published on 27 Nov 2000
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