I, Claudius

By: Robert Graves

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

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

Don't eat the figs!

I, Claudius is a fictionalised autobiography of Claudius, the fourth Roman emperor. The timeline covers the first fifty years of his life, starting in reign of his grandfather, the first emperor Augustus, and continuing through Tiberius and Caligula and up to the point Claudius becomes emperor. Interestingly, Claudius was a historian and did write an autobiography, now lost, covering this same period.

The book paints an entertaining picture of the sort of wanton violence and wicked scheming that seems to be inspired in those close to and hungry for great power. The bad folks are very bad and largely conscience-less. The good folks are likeable and engaging. [SPOILER ALERT:] But the good folks all get killed off by the baddies sooner or later, save Claudius whose infirmities provide him with a perverse sort of shield against most of the deadlier plots. Actually, the baddies pretty much all get killed off, too. So that’s fair.

It’s not all blood and poisons (fast- and slow-acting), though. The story is occasionally funny and even poignant. It’s all strangely believable, too. The horribleness of the struggle for power in that early superpower seemed intuitively credible to me. I imagine stuff like that happens every day in companies and countries around the world today, albeit with a bit less poison and violence.

As other commentators have noted, it can be very challenging to keep track of who’s who, especially with all the adopting and intermarrying. I wonder if it would have been easier if I’d watched the BBC miniseries first, to have a mental picture of the characters. Having seen HBO’s Rome did help me out in the first few chapters.

I really enjoyed this book. The moment I reached the end, I went to Audible to buy the next book, Claudius the God, so I could continue to follow the story.

The narration is perfect, btw.

Highly recommended.

Brilliant classic

Graves' I, Claudius remains one of my all-time favorite books. It is highly readable, historically relevant, and pure genius, written with an eye toward genuine events and historical people from Claudius' time, using contemporary sources. The liberties taken by the author benefit the story and make the book ever so much more enjoyable. During a visit to Istanbul a few years back, I made a point of finding a copy in Turkish (no, I don't speak a word of Turkish). I cannot recommend this book enough.

What I cannot entirely recommend is this reading of I, Claudius (and, presumably, Claudius the God). I have been listening for years (repeatedly) to the original unabridged versions offered on Audible, read by Frederick Davidson--they are among the first ten books I got on Audible in 2001? 2002?. Those versions are no longer available for purchase, replaced by these. I thought I'd give this one a try. Why not? Mr. Runger is by no means bad--I've heard very much worse--but his Americanized pronunciations of many of the Latin names are cringe-worthy ("Who? Where? WHAT did he say?") and he reads far too fast (this version is literally two and a half hours shorter than the Davidson version, which is a significant difference). I listened to this with the speed set at 0.75, which slowed it down enough that it sounded like just a normal reading, rather than a rushed reading, and it did not sound like a slowed-down one, either.

Even so, it's an unabridged version and this needs to be read in its entirety... although they did leave off Robert Graves' introduction, which had some interesting information, but it functions just fine without. I'll likely stick with the other version for my periodic re-reads, but this book is perfection in itself, read or heard.

The best narrator ever!

I couldn't stop listening! Excellent writing and narration was outstanding. Want to read all the books narrated by this guy

What an experience

Let's start with the story.

The book purports to be the autobiography of Emperor Claudius relating the events that lead to his accession to power. As you read through the story, you're allowed a peak into the inner thoughts of a person who before accessing to power was an outcast who was widely ridiculed. You will no doubt experience the bitterness, the hopelessness and some of that stoicism that was in vogue at the time. This includes rants and raves that sometimes go on a tangent which might annoy some readers, but I felt it added credibility to the story and depth to the character. By the end of the story, you will believe that you were actually familiar with Claudius the man. It's pretty clear that Robert Graves did some extensive research to be able to fit in everything in the narrative.

This is not an easy story to go through. If you were already into all things Roman Empire or love stories with strong character development, you will love this book, no doubts. You'll probably get way more than what you bargained for. If you're more of a light reading type of person, I would probably pass.

Now, as for the narration of the book, as you listen to the recording, you start realizing that this is not just a random stranger reading a book to you, this is Emperor Claudius. The tone is always perfect, down to the sarcasm. Nelson Runger did a wonderful performance, he is 100% in character at all times and I have no problems calling this one of the finest performances I've had the pleasure to listen to.

All in all, this was an incredible experience. I had meant to read the book for years, but never quite found the time, so went for the audiobook instead and I'm glad I did. This is the perfect example where the audiobook format is able to augment what is already an excellent book.

An excellent read!

What did you like about this audiobook?

Funny and sad!

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Makes Roman history more alluring.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Yes. Quite a brilliant author.
Anecdotes related in a humourous or a

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Narration is great. Nothing wrong there.

Do you have any additional comments?

Enjoyed this audio tremendously.

Better than Fiction

An absolute must read if you like Ancient Rome, or History in general.

If you've ever found other historical accounts of the first few Caesars far to orderly and clean (deaths and successions, rinse and repeat)...

Cl-Cl-Claudius is about to fill you in on the juicy, shocking, and heartbreaking who what where why and how of it all.

Excellent narraration as well.

A Feast for one's ears!

This is one of my favorite historical periods. Authentically written and an unforgettable performance.

This drama will take you back down the cobbled roads of Rome. You will drift away to a time long forgotten and observe the insane Caligula. Watch the crazed machinations of the senate balanced by the calm Claudius waiting in the wings. Often in fear however having heard a prophecy watching patiently until his time came.


I thoroughly enjoyed this marvelous volume. Doubt if I would have stuck with it if I were to read it on the written page though!

Lives up to its reputation

It was captivating, and easy to listen to and follow. The story is great, only disappointed in the abrupt ending. Overall a masterful novel, I loved every minute of it.

History really?

I am far from being an historian, and my knowledge of Roman history is at best scanty. And yet I caught a few things that made me jump, which of course makes me wonder about everything else... For one thing Graves keeps referring to "France" and "Italy". These are gross anachronisms. He undoubtedly knew better, and may have found it easier to call these regions of the Empire by their modern day names. But I hate that dumbification of history, even in an historic novel. Another inaccuracy (and this time I do have a bit of knowledge in the matter): he keeps referring to "paper". There is no paper in Europe before the 10th century. The Romans had parchment (animal skin) and papyrus as writing supports. I assume he sloppily calls papyrus "paper". But papyrus is NOT paper. His usage of the the word "book" is a bit questionable too. Claudius didn't write on a what we now consider as a book ie a codex (with pages that are sewn together and can be flipped) but rather on scrolls.
Having said all that, if one can stand the darkness and gore of the time period, which has nothing to do with Graves, it is a good read. I found that considering the sadistic bend of some of his main protagonists, especially Caligula, Graves remained pretty discreet and didn't indulge in easy unsavory imagery, for which I was immensely grateful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book

I felt like I learned an immense amount about ancient classical figures whose names I had known but couldn't have told you much else about them. In addition, I was entertained, engrossed, and even horrified (by the how violent their world was). I'd recommend it if you like history and/or historical fiction (this isn't fiction, but it reads like it). The reader was very good.