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.

Unsurpassed, addictive brilliance

Put aside all thought of stuffy classics. Think well-spun tale, full of twists and turns, subterfuges and bloody tyranny. Bear in mind that the BBC at the peak of its tour de force of TV drama production in the '70s and '80s made these two books into a masterpiece surpassed only (perhaps) by Brideshead Revisited. You can't do that with dull material.
As the title siggests, the books are written in the first person, as the autobiography of the partly disabled, sickly survivor of the Claudian wing of the Roman aristocracy who became emperor by flying below the radar and outliving all the other candidates. The choice of reader is critical, as we are listening to an elderly man tell his long and convoluted life story. Nelson Runger's voice rumbles along with just the right timbre and clarity for the character of the wily and learned Claudius. More importantly he has such a fine actor's grasp of text and meaning that we never, for one moment, feel that we are being read to. We are simply being told the bloody, scheming, erotic and shocking tale of Rome's ruling dynasty at the peak of its imperial power, spun out as an captivating yarn.
While never claiming officially to be an historian Graves was a close descendant of German historian Leopold von Ranke and prized historical accuracy. So much, if not all of the two books is historically accurate, a perspective which serves as the binding sauce to Graves' words and Runger's delivery.
One of my very best Audible purchases, which I will listen to again and again.

Superb

I highly recommend this audio book. The book itself, by Robert Graves is a classic. Its an in depth , richly painted portrait of the Julio-Claudian dynasty as seen through the eyes of its most unlikely members. However, the performance of Nelson Runger as narrator makes this a particularly good listen. He did a great job of becoming Claudius. When a narrator can disappear into the part, and really become the part, thats pure joy!

Racy story tamed down.

What did you like best about I, Claudius? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the intimate details about the various Ceasars. I got bored with the one person narrative after awhile. For so many salacious details it got pretty boring. I thought the PBS show was much better than the book it was based on.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Less description and more action.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed Claudius and Calpurnia's interactions, especially when she lent him all the money he had paid her over the years.

Did I, Claudius inspire you to do anything?

Look into Bernard Cornwall's Roman books. I bet he will do much better.

clearly the precursor to Game of Thrones.

what an incredible story. It is fictional of course, but based on real events and makes me very thankful we live in a Republic, for as nuts as our government sometimes seems, it's certainly much more organized and predictable than having a Roman dictator running the show.

this book was quite a wonderful surprise. I love historical fiction, and had been intending to read it for a while, but somehow got the impression it would be rather dull. Quite the opposite! Though narration was fantastic, and the only irritant is that the beginnings of chapters sometimes chopped off a few seconds of narration, I don't know if this is because of the app or something in the audible book. But this small issue did not to detract from The fantastic and incredible storytelling.