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
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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: One of the best novels ever written
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a reason that randomhouse picked I Claudius as the 14th best novel.
Anyone that could rate this book less the 5*'s has lost all credibility with me. It is, quite frankly, one of the greatest masterpieces in English writing. It is also completely based on fact.
I don't think there has ever been more corupt and evil a villain, as Livia. Even after all this time, she still makes the hair on my neck stand up on end.
Book Review: I, Claudius: A fiction in the form of an autobiography
Summary: 5 Stars
This, combined with "Claudius the God", is an intense historical fiction of the reigns of the Caesars from Augustus to the end of Claudius. The grandeur of an empire, the ruin of great men, the poisoning of princes, the Roman virtue, and the Roman decadence...this book will transport the reader to a realm so powerful and exotic that as the last page is turned one no longer knows whether one should appreciate the relative tranquility of the present world or despise it for its boring qualities.
There is one thing that should be reminded of the reader: even though much of the history in the novel is based on the works of Suetonius and Tacitus, who were most likely men of republican sentiment and therefore critical of the Caesars, the true historical figures -- n.b. Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero -- regardless of their reputed vileness and cruelty, were also rulers of a vast empire, and as such they must have performed some regal duties other than what seems like constant debauchery in the novel.
But then, who wants to see despots dictating policies? We want them to wreak havoc and have havoc wreaked upon them. Hail to tyranny and all the great stories that come with it.
Book Review: A good intro to the apogee of Rome.
Summary: 4 Stars
In modern times, few of us have the luxury of a good classical education, and so most of us come away with little or no knowledge of ancient Rome. Yet, as evinced by the massive recent popularity of Rome-centric mini-series and many a special on The History Channel, there is a great interest.
You could slake your thirst for Roman wine by taking university courses. You could also try reading Roman history (The Annals of Imperial Rome (Penguin Classics) by Tacitus, The Fall of the Roman Republic: Six Lives (Penguin Classics) by Plutarch, Livy: The Early History of Rome (Books I-V) by Titus Livy, Makers of Rome: Nine Lives by Plutarch (Penguin Classics), and The Rise of the Roman Empire (Penguin Classics) by Polybius).
Unfortunately, most of us don't have a Roman epoch to "read in." For us mortals, Robert Graves has a great two-volume set, written in the 1930's and centered on the life of Emperor Claudius, the second-to-last of the Caesars. Claudius lived through most of the Republic-to-Empire period and his purported autobiography (actually a good compilation of contemporary Roman sources by Graves) presents a well-written and compelling tale. As Graves himself was one of the translators of Suetonius' "Twelve Caesars," you can expect accuracy.
Whether you are a novice setting out to read about Rome, or a diehard looking for a sort-of-novelization of the time of the Caesars, by all means read "I, Claudius" and its follow-on tome, "Claudius the God."
Book Review: Who wants to be a Roman Caesar?
Summary: 5 Stars
Who wants to be a Roman Caesar? We do. At least, we would if we were interested in having sex with family members, and enjoyed the adrenalin rush one gets wondering if, this time, the food really is poisoned.
Enter Claudius, reluctant contender for Caesar. Dribbling, lurching, but highly intelligent and misunderstood, Claudius is the focal point of the fictionalised autobiography written in 1934, by Robert Graves. Sure, it's an old book. You should read it anyway.
For the uninitiated, it is palatable introduction to the world of the Roman Emperor, the politics, treachery and instability of men who believed themselves more than merely mortal. Take, for example, the tale of Tiberius and the fisherman.
As the story goes, Tiberius landed on a small island to be greeted by a local fisherman, who, recognising the emperor, offered him a fish as a gift. Tiberius was intensely (and justifiably) paranoid, and believed the man was offering him an omen of death, so he ordered his guards to hold the man down and scrub his face with the fish. When the fisherman later quipped "I'm glad I didn't offer him a crab," Tiberius ordered that he be similarly scrubbed with a crab. He went on to collect the most extensive encyclopaedia of pornography in the known world, owned a giant iguana, held orgies with his sister and died in exile at the hand of one of his soldiers, watched by future screwed-up emperor Caligula.Such anecdotes that reveal personality provide Graves fodder for conjecture: they form the bones around which Graves weaves this fascinating tale. And he is a master of the craft.
Stylistically this is a superb novel, seamlessly moving through the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and Graves' deep understanding of the complexities of the Roman political system adds credibility to what can, at times, seem like an impossible tale. His treatment of the psychology of senator and caesar, the fear of power absolute, and the motives behind the plots and counter-plots of assassination are skilfully handled.
Interestingly, Graves also explores the role of women in the history of the empire. Exhibit A: Livia. Wife of Augustus and matriarch of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Livia was some piece of work. Self-serving, power hungry, frustrated by her status as a woman, she plotted, murdered and deified herself and her husband with a ruthless single-mindedness that made Gladiator's Commodus look like a boy scout.
It is a bold for an author to masquerade as Roman royalty, and yet Graves adroitly manoeuvres through the narrative in the first person, in the guise of Claudius, who, unseen or ignored because of his disabilities, is privy to confidences denied other member of the royal household. So the plot unfolds for us, as it unfolded for him, intricate, outrageous but always moving to its inevitable conclusion -- Claudius himself becomes emperor.
Book Review: An excellent book on an interesting topic.
Summary: 5 Stars
All fans af historical fiction need look no further for an intersesting read. The book chronicles the reigns of the Roman Emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula as seen through the eyes of Tiberius Claudius. The book reads in true roman fashion, with characters droping like flies from the very start. The odd thing is how the book makes you not cry but chuckle. The combination of ridiculusly evil characters and humerously unfourtunate events make for a story so tragic you just have to laugh. This is only added to by the way that Claudius records things like murder,war,assasination,divorce and mass executions in a trivial way. Claudius, who is considerd as an idiot due to his stutter and limp, plays up his stupidity in order to stay out of the constant political intrigues, while in fact he is one of the smartest romans of the lot and in the end, I couldn't help but feeling somewhat attached to Claudius.This book is truley marvelous and succeeds perfectly in retelling an ancient tale. And as a plus, I am now extremly knowledgeable on this time of history after reading this book.