Bringing to life the subterfuge & double-dealing of Roman nobility Robert Graves' I Claudius" brings the ancient world to life with startling clarity & meticulous realism. This " Penguin Modern Classics" edition is a
Includes:: an introduction by Barry Unsworth. Despised for his weakness & regarded by his family as little more than a stammering fool the nobleman Claudius quietly survives the intrigues bloody purges & mounting cruelty of the imperial Roman dynasties. In "I Claudius" he watches from the sidelines to record the reigns of its emperors: from the wise Augustus & his villainous wife Livia to the sadistic Tiberius & the insane excesses of Caligula. Written in the form of Claudius' autobiography this is the first part of Robert Graves' brilliant account of the madness & debauchery of ancient Rome & stands as one of the most celebrated gripping historical novels ever written. Robert Ranke Graves (1895-1985) was a British poet novelist & critic. He is best known for the historical novel "I Claudius" & the critical study of myth & poetry " The White Goddess". His autobiography " Goodbye to All That" was published in 1929 quickly establishing itself as a modern classic. Graves also translated Apuleius Lucan & Suetonius for the " Penguin Classics" & compiled the first modern dictionary of Greek Mythology " The Greek Myths". His translation of " The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam" (with Omar Ali-Shah) is also published in " Penguin Classics". If you enjoyed "I Claudius" you might like Graves' sequel " Claudius the God" also available in " Penguin Modern Classics". " An imaginative & hugely readable account of the early decades of the Roman Empire.. .racy inventive often comic". (" Daily Telegraph"). " Still an acknowledged masterpiece & a model for historical fiction.. .sympathetic & intensely involving: a great feat of imagination". (Hilary Mantel author of " Wolf Hall")."