I, Claudius


I, Claudius by Robert Graves



Although I first read this terrific book in 1972, it has been over twenty years since the last time I read it. However, after reading a potboiler about Pompeii, I was reminded of how much I loved this book, so I have read it again. Graves has done a brilliant thing here, by making Claudius narrate the story of the Palace intrigues during the time of Augustus, Tiberius and Caligua. The Emperor Claudius was an unlikely Emperor who was lame, stammered, rarely entrusted with the usual high offices and never given military experience but none the less survives to be Emperor. This idea is an inspired one -Claudius really did write historical works, and he plausibly has the rest of the family confide in him precisely because they underestimate him. Graves is an excellent scholar so it rarely or never outright contradicts what is historically known, and he manages to make the events both compelling and understandable.
Below is a link to a fine article on the historical Claudius.

http://www.roman-emperors.org/claudius.htm

Posted: Fri - November 26, 2004 at 09:46 PM          

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