I, Claudius is like a modern day soap, spent in Ancient Rome. Murder, adultery, perversion and corruption rule the day. This is a semi-ficticious book, in that it is based on many real sources (Suetonius' 12 Caesars, Plutarch and Tacitus), but it’s given a lot of creative licence by Graves.
The story is written like a hidden autobiography of the Emperor Claudius, describing the ... read more
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Amazon.com Review
Having never seen the famous 1970s television series based on Graves' historical novel of ancient Rome and being generally uneducated about matters both ancient and Roman, I wasn't prepared for such an engaging book. But it's a ripping good read, this fictional autobiography set in the Roman Empire's days of gl0
0
Amazon.com Review
Having never seen the famous 1970s television series based on Graves' historical novel of ancient Rome and being generally uneducated about matters both ancient and Roman, I wasn't prepared for such an engaging book. But it's a ripping good read, this fictional autobiography set in the Roman Empire's days of glory and decadence. As a history lesson, it's fabulous; as a novel it's also wonderful. Best is Claudius himself, the stutterer who let everyone think he was an idiot (to avoid getting poisoned) but who reveals himself in the narrative to be a wry and likable observer. His story continues in Claudius the God.
"Oli kyllä mielenkiintoinen tapaus. Tekstistä paistaa ainakin Suetoniuksen, Tacituksen ynnä muiden vaikutus todella vahvasti läpi ihan lähes suorien lainaustenkin muodossa, mutta niiden ympärille on saatu luotua todella kutkuttava tarinä täynnä sitä ihteään, eli juonittelua, selkäänpuukotusta, politikointia, taikauskoa ja poliittista saippuaoopperaa. Gravesilla on kuvaamansa aikakauden kuvasto hyvin hallussa ja ajoittain uhkaavasta puuduttavuusestaan huolimatta tämä oli kyllä tod"
""Though he briefly became emperor, Claudius, the limping, stuttering grandson of Caesar Augustus, is not your usual Roman on a pedestal. Sly, even bitchy, an appalled observer of his treacherous times —in his voice you hear the worldliness of classical literature with none of its marble officialdom. A member of a ruthless and murderous imperial family, he survives because he seems to all around him the least consequential twig of the family tree. But Claudius bears enduring witness to a moment"
coroner added this to a list 4 years, 8 months ago
"Though he briefly became emperor, Claudius, the limping, stuttering grandson of Caesar Augustus, is not your usual Roman on a pedestal. Sly, even bitchy, an appalled observer of his treacherous times —in his voice you hear the worldliness of classical literature with none of its marble officialdom. A member of a ruthless and murderous imperial family, he survives because he seems to all around him the least consequential twig of the family tree. But Claudius bears enduring witness to a moment "
“I, Claudius is like a modern day soap, spent in Ancient Rome. Murder, adultery, perversion and corruption rule the day. This is a semi-ficticious book, in that it is based on many real sources (Suetonius' 12 Caesars, Plutarch and Tacitus), but it’s given a lot of creative licence by Graves.
The story is written like a hidden autobiography of the Emperor Claudius, describing the scandals and atrocities that surround him, as he survives throughout. Claudius plays upon his stutter and lameness in order to fire rumours of his stupidity, and decrease chances of his assassination. Graves takes a sympathetic view of Claudius, through the rule of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and his own succession.
The character of Caligula is endlessly entertaining, driven mad by a brain” read more
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