Book Review: I, Claudius by Robert Graves

I, Claudius by Robert Graves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A dying man who survived to old age thanks to physical effects of an illness at a young age that made defective in the eyes of his family tells history about the deadly power politics of early Imperial Rome. I, Claudius by Robert Graves is a historical fiction written as an autobiography of the fourth Roman Emperor Claudius from his family background and birth to his elevation to the Imperial throne.

Covering over 80 years of events, though the first 34 are background leading to Claudius birth, Graves retells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty through the eyes of Claudius who until a brief consulship during his nephew’s reign was a nonentity in politics, becoming a real-life historian and thus is a perfect individual to give the story. Using the history of the period written by Suetonius and Tacitus as an outline, Graves fills in the drama by making an individual a political mastermind who uses poison to not only to allow the newborn Empire to become permanent but also to have her descendants come to rule it. Graves gives Claudius life with complaints about this family members, frustration by being pushed aside, and concern about his friends and relatives. The attention to detail in both history and creating a rounded individual as storyteller made this an enjoyable read.

I, Claudius is an historical fiction autobiography that brings the fourth Roman Emperor to life thanks Robert Graves’ attention to history and character writing.

View all my reviews