I'll start from afar. I've never been interested in fantasy. Why do I need fictional worlds when our world has so much to offer? More than once I've heard that characters are wasted in Game of Thrones without the slightest regret. But it's unlikely that this series/books can surprise me with anything after the novel "I, Claudius." Sure, I knew the history of ancient Rome in general terms, but for some reason I wasn't prepared for the mountain of corpses waiting for me on every page. How's that for you, Elon Musk George Martin?
Robert von Ranke Graves, born in Wimbledon, received his early education at King's College School and Copthorne Prep School, Wimbledon & Charterhouse School and won a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford. While at Charterhouse in 1912, he fell in love with G.H. Johnstone, a boy of fourteen ("Dick" in Goodbye to All That) When challenged by the headmaster he defended himself by citing Plato, Greek poets, Michelangelo & Shakespeare, "who had felt as I did".
As you have already realized, the novel is set in ancient times. And it is written on behalf of the Emperor Claudius, the one who ruled between Caligula and Nero. I don't know what hooked me into this book, but after getting over halfway through it, I couldn't tear myself away. It might seem boring to someone, but someone who as a child read the history books voraciously, I did not see any boredom here. I must warn you that you have to be mentally prepared to face a lot of similar names. One has to be vigilant not to confuse where Drusus and Drusilla are, where Livia and Livilla are, who is Antony and who is Antonia, who is Julius and who is Julilla. Thankfully Claudius, Augustus, and Germanicus were the only ones. But this is inaccurate.
So Tiberius Claudius Drususus Nero Germanicus (aka simply Claudius) tells us the story of his life, the life of his family, and, of course, the history of Rome. Trouble is, the book ends just as he became emperor. And now we'll have to read the second novel ("Divine Claudius") to find out the sequel. No, no, don't think you can read anything different in the book than what the Wikipedia article about Claudius contains. But it doesn't interfere with the reading in any way. Spoilers are no big deal.
If it's common in your environment to execute, poison, and strangle everyone in a row, it might turn out that one day the most unexpected person might become emperor. The one they called "the idiot Claudius." He was not an idiot. He was just born weak and sickly. He ended up limping, stuttering, and looking dubious. Neither his mother nor his grandmother loved him. And no one took him seriously. While everyone was fighting for power, he studied history and wrote books.
- What are you doing now, nephew?
I answered, stammering, that I was writing The History of the Ancient Etruscans, if he didn't mind.
- Really? That speaks volumes about your common sense. There are no ancient Etruscans left in the world to object to it, and hardly any living Etruscans who care, so you can write whatever you want.
In the meantime, times were very peculiar. Mores left much to be desired. The emperors, apart from murder, practiced the most savage debauchery. Patrician women behaved like harbor whores. And vice versa. Claudius, for example, at one time lived with a "professional prostitute, an honest and decent woman." That is to say, it was a lot of fun. By the end of the book, he had married once again - to that very Messalina. Another reason to read the second novel!
The most interesting female character in the book is undoubtedly Livia - Claudius' grandmother. I couldn't wait for her to die already. And when she finally began to die, it suddenly opened up a different side to both me and, apparently, Claudius. It was a massive personality. After she died, things got even worse.
I had never heard the author's last name before, but in the English-speaking world this book is known and popular. I'm trying to understand and explain to you why. And I can't. There is something elusive about it. Graves warns in the preface that it is written in a colloquial way, that there are anachronisms in it, that he will use "France" instead of "Gaul," etc. But all that didn't stop me from moving freely back 2,000 years as I read.
The most beautiful thing about this book are the final paragraphs. It would probably be overkill to quote them. Just know that Claudius is our man.
Study the history! Suddenly one day everyone will be killed and you'll have to lead the country. And you can't do that without knowing history.
This article was sponsored by Clarise Blanchard
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