I, Claudius

By: Robert Graves

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is one of the best historical novels ever written. Lame, stammering Claudius, once a major embarrassment to the imperial family and now emperor of Rome, writes an eyewitness account of the reign of the first four Caesars: the noble Augustus and his cunning wife, Livia; the reptilian Tiberius; the monstrous Caligula; and finally old Claudius himself and his wife, Messalina. Filled with poisonings, betrayal, and shocking excesses, I Claudius is history that rivals the most exciting contemporary fiction.

©1934, 1961 Robert Graves (P)1987 Recorded Books

Claudius the Lucky

Would you listen to I, Claudius again? Why?

It may be a while before I listen to "I, Claudius" as it is rather lengthy.

What did you like best about this story?

Runger's reading gives the listener a chance for the imagination to run. It almost felt like I was there with Claudius writing the history of his bloodline.

What does Nelson Runger bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nelson brought something genuine to the reading.

If you could rename I, Claudius, what would you call it?

Claudius: Luckiest Man in Rome.

Any additional comments?

It's worth a listen since the book itself is out print.

Surprise it's not dry!

Robert Graves turns a minor Cesar into a lesson about the links between pkwer and history

Fantastic

A delight from start to finish. I was very pleasantly surprised and high recommend this book.

Nelson Runger is superb!

Best audiobook, I have experienced, because the writing is so well done it and because Nelson Runger did such an exceptional job I felt I was listening to Claudius speaking the entire time. Anyone even remotely interested in the history of Rome would appreciate this work.

Great historical fiction.

if you love the classic TV show you should read the book. Now on to Claudius the God.

Best Historical Fiction

Hesitate to call it fiction because the tale is probably true. Outstanding reader, as we know often the reader can make or break a book or just be neutral. In this case it was definitely a bonus, he captures the tone quite well.

A fool survives

Claudius of this book is not the Claudius of history. That is a very good thing. The real Claudius was not likable. This is Grave's autobiographical account of Roman emperor Claudius. Claudius is physically weak, drools and stammers-and this is what kept him breathing, while all other threats to his grandmother Livia's schemes drop dead. There is lots of intrigue, sex, murder, suspicion and more intrigue. You will have fun listening to this one.

Be sure you get the version narrated by Nelson Runger. He is superb as the voice of the stammering idiot, and he shines. I have another version done by Fredrick Davidson, whom I love as a narrator, but he did not fit the role of Claudius.

classic historical fiction

Even though it was written over 75 years ago, I, Claudius outshines many modern works of historical fiction in its detail, drama, and accessibility. Its narrator may not have had the most interesting life story himself, but as a fly-on-the-wall witness to several generations of backstabbing Roman politics, debauchery, and familial intrigue, not to mention turbulent times in the life of the empire itself, he plenty of tales to tell. It's obvious that Graves took some fictional (and a little bit of mystical) license with his history, but he seems to have done his research. I learned a great deal about Rome during its Imperial Period.

Perhaps the book's a little too fact-oriented at times; it relates a lot of minor events and anecdotes that don't have much to do with any larger plotline. The large cast of briefly-seen minor characters and the complicated family lineages of Roman nobility can be confusing, as well.

But, none of that undermined my enjoyment too much. Graves provides a few heroes to root for and plenty of villains you'll love to loathe, particularly the cruel, cunning Livia and the depraved Caligula (a leader who makes America's worst heads of state look like saintly paragons of wisdom and virtue). For patient readers, I, Claudius is an absorbing historical soap opera. Nelson Runger's grandfatherly voice is a perfect fit for the audio version.

Good Period Story set in Rome

These are both well written - I,Claudius first and then this one. Great detail, excellent story and narration. My only note is that they are long and sometimes slow and too much story and details and you wish they would get one with it but overall great period piece.

Great story, AWFUL narration.

What made the experience of listening to I, Claudius the most enjoyable?

The actual story is engaging and interesting, if the names can be a little confusing via audiobook.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Nelson Runger?

ANYONE but Nelson Runger. He's not believable as Claudius or any other Roman-era character. He sounds like he should be panning for gold, not narrating a story about Roman royalty. His delivery isn't believable, he makes a half-assed attempt at Claudius' stutter (and sometimes doesn't make any attempt at all) and is just overall not engaging as a narrator.

Any additional comments?

I am trying really hard to get through this book. The story itself is interesting, but ugh - the narration! Shoot me in the face. He has decent narration skills but he is NOT the right choice for this story. Just awful.