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Robert Graves
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Claudius the God: And His Wife Messalina Paperback – International Edition, October 23, 1989

by Robert Graves (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,510
See all formats and editions
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Robert Graves begins anew the tumultuous life of the Roman who became emporer in spite of himself. Captures the vitality, splendor, and decadence of the Roman world at the point of its decline.
Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 2
    Claudius Series
  2. Print length
    544 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Vintage
  5. Publication date
    October 23, 1989
  6. Dimensions
    5.13 x 1.21 x 7.96 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0679725733
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0679725732
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Picking up where the extraordinarily interesting I, Claudius ends, Claudius the God tells the tale of Claudius' 13-year reign as Emperor of Rome. Naturally, it ends when Claudius is murdered--believe me, it's not giving anything away to say this; the surprise is when someone doesn't get poisoned. While Claudius spends most of his time before becoming emperor tending to his books and his writings and trying to stay out of the general line of corruption and killings, his life on the throne puts him into the center of the political maelstrom.

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s begins anew the tumultuous life of the Roman who became emporer in spite of himself. Captures the vitality, splendor, and decadence of the Roman world at the point of its decline.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; First Thus edition (October 23, 1989)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 544 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679725733
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679725732
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 1.21 x 7.96 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 1,510

About the author

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Robert Graves

Robert Graves

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ROBERT GRAVES (1895-1985) was an English poet, translator, and novelist, one of the leading English men of letters in the twentieth century. He fought in World War I and won international acclaim in 1929 with the publication of his memoir of the First World War, Good-bye to All That. After the war, he was granted a classical scholarship at Oxford and subsequently went to Egypt as the first professor of English at the University of Cairo. He is most noted for his series of novels about the Roman emperor Claudius and his works on mythology, such as The White Goddess.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,510 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ritesh Laud
5.0 out of 5 stars The sequel's just as good!
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2002
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"Claudius the God" is the second of Graves' two-part story of the Roman Emperor Claudius, told in the form of an autobiography. It continues right where "I, Claudius" leaves off, at Claudius's ascendancy to Emperor following Caligula's rather bloody end. Thanks to Livia, Tiberius, and Caligula, most of the politically prominent citizens of Rome have been poisoned, exiled, or otherwise done away with when Claudius begins his reign. So things are relatively peaceful for a while.
If you've read the other reviews of this book, you may get the impression that it's not near as good as the first and that you wouldn't be missing out on much by skipping it. And I guess it all comes down to your tastes. If you're looking for a story packed with intrigue and deception culminating in a triumphant ending, you won't find it in the sequel. There aren't as many loonies around anymore to laugh at. And the last few years of Claudius's reign are decidedly sobering.
Yet if you like reading about history as much as I do, there's still a ton of fascinating material here to immerse yourself in. Such as a rich background on Herod Agrippa, the Jewish king who feigns friendship with Claudius while secretly fomenting rebellion. Or interesting details on the Celtic druids' rituals. And of course an account of Claudius's successful invasion of Britain. Back at home Claudius's lovely wife Messalina eventually reveals her shocking true colors, leading to a purge of Rome's corrupt nobility by Claudius.
All narration is in the same style that distinguished the first book: witty, humorous, and anything but dry. At the end of the first book, I simply had to know what happened to Claudius next. So for me, this book was a necessary read and I'm pleased to say that it far surpassed the expectations I had formed upon reading many of the other reviews here. Claudius makes a heroic effort to repair the extensive damage that the mad Caligula wreaked on the Empire's finances and general well-being (such as adding ~150 holidays to the year!). He largely succeeds but only temporarily, then ultimately yields to the Empire's natural entropic tendency to fall into disorder. You may feel somewhat down after reading it, but you'll have to agree that the ride was fascinating while it lasted!
Highly recommended.
15 people found this helpful
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Michael Valdivielso
4.0 out of 5 stars Good. Not as good as the first book.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2021
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Claudius The God : And His Wife Menssalina is the second part of a two part account of the life, fictional of course, of Tiberius Claudius. The first part was I, Claudius, which to be honest, is very much the superior book.
Funny enough the second book is good, some parts funny, some parts seriously depressing, and some parts sad. We saw Claudius overcome insane family members and crazy politics to become ruler of Rome in the first book. And in this book, even before we open it, we know that the pages before us will contain his downfall. He wants to return the Republic. We know he won’t. He hopes to find honest men. We know he will fail. He hopes to shield the ones he loves. We know he can’t.
Even when he triumphs we know it will be short lived. He hopes to make Rome so sick of tyrants that they will turn back to Republican ideals. We know that will never happen. Not for centuries.
Also this is a fictional version of him. And the real Emperor was no where as nice or as interested in turning things around.
And when you think about him trying to turn the wheel of history backwards we all know that it's pretty hard to do. Maybe this was Robert Graves’ way of teaching us a lesson. Once you turn the wheel you’re kind of stuck with where you ended up. A must read but, unlike the first book, I am not sure it is worth a reread.
14 people found this helpful
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GeekyGal
5.0 out of 5 stars Long time favorite FINALLY in e-book
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2012
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Robert Graves' I, Claudius I, Claudius (Penguin Classics) , and Claudius the God Claudius the God (Penguin Classics)  are really one longer completely brilliant work rather than stand alone novels. Do read them in order. I've loved them since the first time I read them, loved the Masterpeice Theater production with Sir Derek Jacobi as Claudius I, Claudius . Although the title of that was I, Claudius as well, it covered both books.

These works inspired me, and others, to study Roman History in fact through their fiction. Some of the more interesting and scandalous bits are questioned by historians. That's fine as this does not pretend to be anything by fiction.

The fun, though, is how much is fact based and how entertaining those facts are. For a very largely factual story, this is a thrill ride of a novel. Heros, murderers, lunatics, royalty, poor relations, valor, politics, theater, battles, scandals, elephants, gods, and all in one family who are pretty much ruling what they think of as the known world in whatever spare time they have left.

Claudius the God is the last phase of Claudius' life, where he goes from outliving most of his family, and how it affects him (and many other people). People have objected to some of the work as "padding", the long look at Herod Agrippa's story, for example. I enjoyed it all. Graves is a brilliant writer. One can appreciate that these books came from a Poet Laureate.

Penguin chose a terrible cover for this, in my view. Don't be put off by it. One of the many advantages of ebooks is that you don't have to look at a terrible cover.
4 people found this helpful
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MJ Hunt
5.0 out of 5 stars Dear Claudius
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2020
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Mr. Graves, I thank you for bringing me into the life and times of Claudius whom I now consider a friend and confidant - though somewhat separated by time and space.

Tough times those Roman days but not unfamiliar to these strange days. Your writing brought familiarity. Engaging. Delightful. Humorous. Sad. Weird. Insightful. A book for the ages.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dr R
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant work
Reviewed in Canada on June 25, 2023
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Graves was a serious scholar as well as being a wonderful poet and writer. To call this historical fiction is to put too much weight on the word fiction. It's derived from extensive research and knowledge of the Caesars, but beautifully told. Try to read I Claudius first, but if you don't, don't worry. This is a gem on its own.
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gary o
5.0 out of 5 stars Genius.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2023
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Brilliant book.
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Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in Australia on November 2, 2016
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A bit long winded
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Anubhav Khiwani
4.0 out of 5 stars The Clau Claudius, Rome and his wonderful wife Messalina
Reviewed in India on September 28, 2014
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Rome has never seen a King as stammering and unsure as Claudius, but Claudius makes sweeping changes after Caligua 's destructive ways, fills the treasury again, fights the war in Britain and thinks hard( just thinks- but loves the throne so does nothing) in an attempt to make Rome Republic. This book is not as good as the first one . Firstly, it covers only one king and covers a very limited time period. Secondly, Claudius as a side man provided much more information about the Roman World. This book also covers the African King Herod, who has an exciting life that was presented beautifully. The writing style is sharp and witty. Its a book that will cover battles, treasuries, marriages and changes in Rome.

If you have enjoyed the first one, this will not be as good but still engross you enough to be a good ride.
3 people found this helpful
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Cincinato
5.0 out of 5 stars Secuela a un clasico
Reviewed in Spain on September 28, 2012
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Las dos novelas de Graves son inevitables e imprescindibles para cualquiera que le guste la novela historica, la historia en si o Roma.

En la primera, y a traves de Claudio, Graves recrea la Roma de Augusto, Tiberio y Caligula y lo que debio ser vivir dentro de una familia imperial recien creada a partir de una republica. "Yo, Claudio" no puede faltar.

Esta segunda podria parecer mas precindible, aunque sigue mereciendo la pena. Claudio pasa de pseudo-narrador a actor principal y es mas dificil conectar con un emperador debil y cornudo pero el esfuerzo merece la pena.

Si ya has leido a McCoullough, Posteguillo o Saylor, no se a que estas esperando.
One person found this helpful
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