Summary of I, Claudius
“I, Claudius” is a historical novel about the life of the Roman emperor Claudius. The novel recounts the events at the centre of Roman politics during the transition from the late Republic to the early Empire, beginning with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC and continuing through the reigns of the emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula. The book is presented as the autobiography of Claudius himself, who survives the intrigues and violence of the imperial family despite being widely underestimated because of his physical disabilities. The sequel, “Claudius the God”, continues the story after Claudius is unexpectedly proclaimed emperor in AD 41.
Reasons to read I, Claudius
“I, Claudius” and “Claudius the God” are among the most successful historical novels ever written. Both became bestsellers and received critical acclaim (they won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction in 1934). The novels depict the palace intrigues, betrayals and political murders within the imperial family of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and are largely based on the writings of ancient Roman historians such as Suetonius and Tacitus. Robert Graves was a renowned British author and poet. Besides the Claudius novels, he is also known for his autobiographical work “Good-Bye to All That”, describing his experiences during the First World War, and for the historical novel “Count Belisarius” about a sixth-century Byzantine general. The Claudius novels were famously adapted into a BBC television series in 1976. “I, Claudius” frequently appears in lists of the greatest novels in English, including the Modern Library list of the 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century (1998) and Time’s list of the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923 (2005).
Original title: I, Claudius
Year of publication: 1934
Nr of pages: 394
