Historical Fiction · DarkClaudius, dismissed as a harmless stammerer, tells of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from Julius Caesar to Caligula
I, Claudius
The Roman emperor Claudius tells his family's history as the one they all underestimated
Claudius, the Roman emperor, tells the story in the first person as an autobiography. It traces the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41. His family dismisses him as harmless because of his stammer and limp, and he survives in a dangerous court by seeming foolish. Arthur Barker published it in 1934, and the sequel, Claudius the God, followed in 1935.
More about this book
Who
Claudius, who narrates, and the members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
World
Imperial Rome, from 44 BC to AD 41.
What makes it different
It is written as the emperor's own autobiography. With its sequel it won the 1934 James Tait Black Prize, and a 1976 BBC serial won three BAFTAs and an Emmy.
Feel
Intriguing and dark.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- I, ClaudiusWikipedia