I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International) by Robert Graves Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $6.49 You Save: $8.46 (57%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.73 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of I, Claudius : From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born 10 B.C., Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International)
Book Review: Roman soap opera
Summary: 4 Stars
The pleasure I got from this book was mainly due to Robert Graves' style of making Roman historical events come alive with an almost soap-opera like quality. Although he never veers into sensationalism, I was always lead from page to page wanting to know the next extraordinary event in the life and times of Augustus et al. Although a vast and complex array of characters are introduced I never felt lost due to the author's logical style and his ability to remind the reader of ground already covered. Overall, I knew little about this period of history before I read this book and the author made my education very enjoyable!Book Review: I, Claudius - what a family!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I first picked up this book on Holiday in Holland in the 80's, along with the follow up "Claudius the God". Both are good pieces of fiction but I feel there is something even worse hidden beneath the words which just cannot be written about. Having read the book I was driven to research the age in which it is set - and I was right. This is but half the story and tells only what could be published without pushing the book into the pornography or the sado-masochism sections. It is true what they say you can choose your friends but beware of your family - and don't get to close to the friends either! The chronology is a bit hard to follow but the story is basically accurate in the major historical points and the characters - watered down as they are - are definitely believable.
Told from the first person viewpoint it paints a fairly accurate life of Rome of the time though it is spoilt a little by the geographical information which has, of necessity I suspect, been written with the modern map in mind. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I have come back to time and again and- like Tolkein & Dillman - have gained new insights and shocks from each time I have read it. I would recommend it to students of history for its insights as well as the leisure reader for its good storyline of intrigue, murder, incest. Anything seems possible and probable in this decadent time in Rome's History. My final comment, to paraphrase Julia, daughter of Augustus - "Yeah Gods, what a family!!"
Book Review: Where've you been all these years?
Summary: 5 Stars
Derek Jacobi played the part to part to perfection. However, he had to have something to play, and Robert Graves' books are excellent. I'm happy that people are finally READING & enjoying.Book Review: Et tu, Claudius?
Summary: 5 Stars
'I, Claudius' is actually part one of a two-part set, the second volume of which is 'Claudius the God'. The story is set in Rome at the time of the institution of Augustus, the first emperor, up to the accession of Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian line of emperors (after this time, the imperial seat was more of a political prize to be fought for than a family bequest). Robert Graves intriguing use of the vernacular language and the extensive research, following largely the histories of Suetonius (a gossipy historian) rather than Tacitus (the formal, more official historian), gives a rather racy and juicy insight into the flamboyant lifestyle of the early imperial family, as seen through the eyes primarily of its most unlikely heir, Claudius the stammerer. Claudius escaped much of the political intrigue and was seen as a harmless outsider due to his physical impediments, which helped mask his intellectual capabilities and cunning insight into the actions of others.
Grave's recreation is well-done, but a bit too sympathetic to his hero Claudius. Claudius was not the intellectual saintly character protrayed in theses novels--true, he wasn't nearly as bad as his predecessor Caligula or his successor Nero, but he had shortcomings that are often ignored for lacking the glamour of the evils of the two emperors who bookend his reign.
Graves' use of language is interesting to note. Instead of translating historical scenes into formal, high-academic English (as a classically-trained Oxbridge scholar might be inclined to do), he put things into what Alistair Cook called the everyday language of the English aristocracy, a social class accustomed to the easy exercise of world-domination power, politically and socially. This makes it an engaging work that avoids the pitfalls of academic histories.
Derek Jacobi's performance in the BBC production is stunning; what the novel leaves out in way of historical accuracy to detail (Claudius was married more times than would Graves' books attest, for instance) it more than makes up for by way of being an entertaining introduction to imperial Rome. Make sure to get both volumes!
Book Review: Historical fiction at its best - Superb!!,
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" is one of the most superb works of historical fiction I have ever read. It goes without saying, (but I will say it anyway), that the author is renowned as an extraordinary poet, novelist and essayist. Here he paints a most realistic portrait of Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus), the weak and sickly boy who lived to reign over the Roman empire; Augustus Caesar and his wife and "co-ruler," the venomous Livia Augusta; and Emperors Tiberius and Caligula, as well as their family members, senators and others who peopled "the center of the world" in the 1st century AD. Graves used classical source material when writing this book - Livy, Plutarch, Tacitus, Suetonius and Josephus.The novel is presented as an autobiography with Claudius narrating in the form of a "confidential" written history in which he reveals the "real scoop" of the years prior to his reign - not the expediential version of history usually documented by those afraid to be crucified...literally. Claudius was in an excellent position to write such a tell-all. He was born with numerous visible physical defects. He was lame, stammered, his head twitched, and he was partly deaf, so no one thought him capable of understanding their conversations, plotting and political intriguing and so spoke freely around him. In fact, many thought he was an idiot. However, he was quite intelligent and what these folks said and did makes for a fascinating, if somewhat diabolical read. In the Rome of Claudius' day, public speaking and the ability to behave with utmost dignity were crucial if one was to hold high office. Unable to meet this criteria, Claudius was left out of Augustus' and Livia's, (Claudius paternal grandmother) plans when preparing members of the imperial family for public positions. Thus he led a quiet life, devoting his time to writing histories instead of attending the Senate or commanding legions. His handicaps actually saved his life. While those around him warred over power and position, Claudius was virtually forgotten. Consequently, he was the only male member of the imperial family alive when Caligula was murdered, and was therefore the only royal candidate available to become emperor.
In order to give readers a more complete picture of the times, Graves does not begin this fictional autobiography with Claudius' birth in 9 BC, but goes back to cover the earlier reign of Augustus, and when necessary even further than that. Roman history is not at the top of my list of favorite topics, but I was really riveted to the page with this compelling account. The period covered is a tumultuous one, apart from the royal family's intriguing and inventive ways of eliminating one another. There were wars, uprisings and even rebellions at home. Christianity was on the rise as was persecution of Christians. Tiberius initiated a reign of terror with spies everywhere, numerous treason trials and executions. And Caligula was totally decadent and completely mad. It was also a time of cultural vitality, splendor and extreme excesses.
I highly recommend "I, Claudius" and its companion novel, "Claudius The God." They exemplify outstanding historical fiction.
JANA