Here is a major new recording and the riveting account of Ancient Rome in all its madness and debauchery.
The politics of empire-building and the hypocrisies, back-stabbings, and corruptions of Rome's first family come to light. First published in 1934, the book retains a marvelously modern and often comic tone, and is written in the form of Claudius' autobiography. This is gripping stuff, read by one of our finest actors, who also starred as Claudius in the classic television series.
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"Read this many years ago after seeing the Masterpiece Theater Series. The book is even more wicked and crazy than the TV series, which I would never believe possible. Most depraved book you will ever enjoy. " — Cindy (5 out of 5 stars)
"Read this many years ago after seeing the Masterpiece Theater Series. The book is even more wicked and crazy than the TV series, which I would never believe possible. Most depraved book you will ever enjoy. "
" LOve the writing style and the supposedly straight forward way of narration. Hate. Livia. To. The. Extreme. "
" I read this years ago and LOVED it!! "
" The world is fascinating.The main character doesn't sound that driven. The evil virago, cliched. The gay characters, cliched too. The main character is not as active as the incestuous mad character. A bit Odysseus-ish. "
" Not quite as fun as the First Men of Rome series, but entertaining and in the same vein. I was sorry when it was finished. I wanted to know what the good Claudius did as emperor! "
" Nothing has changed... gossip back in BC. Very interesting read. "
" I wanted to love this book. I like historical fiction in general. Here, I found the Claudius as narrator too dry and the humor a bit forced. What should have been clever sometimes struck me as tiresome. "
" I loved the book, but it's not a light read. You have to really enjoy history and have the patience to work through numerous characters who all seem to have the same name... "
" One of my favorite reads "
" The intrigues and outrages of Rome's first imperial family. Livia is a truly unforgettable character. "
Robert Graves (1895–1985) was an English poet, translator, and novelist, one of the leading English men of letters in the twentieth century. He fought in World War I and won international acclaim in 1929 with the publication of his memoir of the First World War, Good-bye to All That. After the war, he was granted a classical scholarship at Oxford and subsequently went to Egypt as the first professor of English at the University of Cairo. He is most noted for his series of novels about the Roman emperor Claudius and his works on mythology, such as The White Goddess.
Sir Derek Jacobi has had a long and distinguished career. He has toured in Becket and Uncle Vanya, and he received a Tony Award for his performance as Benedick in the RSC’s production of Much Ado about Nothing. His work in television includes the lead roles in Cadfael and I, Claudius, and his film credits include Henry V, Gosford Park, and Hamlet. His narrations have won him eleven Audiofile Earphones Awards.
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