Claudius the God

A modern classic of historical fiction written in the form of Claudius's autobiography.

Claudius the God is the second part of Robert Graves's two-part account of the life of Tiberius Claudius, "the cripple, the stammerer, the fool of the family" who became Emperor of Rome in spite of himself in 41 A.D. With the same crystalline brilliance that characterizes its classic antecedent, Claudius the God evokes the vitality, splendor, and decadence of Imperial Rome at the beginning of its decline. It is not only a superb re-creation of a colorful moment in history but, through the eyes of the bemused and wry emperor, a compelling and ironic account of human nature as well. "This book, with or without its predecessor, is amusing and illuminating to a high degree." —The New York TimesROBERT GRAVES (1895–1985) was a poet, novelist, and critic. His first volume of poems, Over the Brazier (1916), reflects his experiences in the trenches, and was followed by many works of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. He is best known for his novel, I, Claudius (1934), which won the Hawthornden and James Tait Black Memorial prizes, and for his influential The White Goddess (1948).