In addition to provide insight into Claudius’ character, the text allows the readers to view an inside perspective of the intrigues and plots that characterized the Roman Empire. I don't have time for all that if I'm going to get throughĮven a fraction of his work in my own lifetime.Robert Graves presents I, Claudius as a personal autobiography written by Claudius himself. had a dramaticĪnd romantic private life you can read about somewhere else by someone He was also known as a character in real life. Too opinionated? Too off the wall? I don't know, maybe not the greatest-lit Why have such scores of lovely, gifted girlsĪnd missionary endeavour, nine times out of ten.

Or take a later poem, 'A Slice of Wedding Cake', which asks the immortal The last poem, 'Free Verse', which concludes: That appeared in the volume Fairies and Fusiliers (1917), Some of his most memorable poetry was bitingly humorous, such as those But much of his poetry was lively and modern in its cynicism. Poet at a time when Romanticism was dying and imagism was coming to Lasting mark in poetry in the twentieth century because he was a Romantic It's been suggested Graves failed to make a Still, all the biographies call him a poet first.Īnd in poetry compendiums you may actually find the odd poem of his The British-born writer published, in fact, over 140 books in a wide Then there are his translations of classical literature, some Third may be his scathing and once-scandalous memoir-in prose- Good-bye to All That (1929, revised 1957), recalling his youth and war experiences.įourth is probably his book of criticism-in prose, though poetical prose- The White Goddess (1948), named for his professed muse and proclaiming the feminine principles of love and destruction as his inspiration over the masculine values of rationality.Īnd after that come his scholarly prose works on religion and mythology-such as The Nazarene Gospel Restored (1953), The Greek Myths (1955), and The Hebrew Myths (1964)-which have had notable influence on later authors in the field. His historical novel I, Claudius (1934) and its follow-up, Claudius the God (1943), are certainly his two best-read creations. Robert Graves considered himself a poet, wrote volumes of poetry, and claimed to live his life entirely on poetical principles.Īnd is now chiefly known for works of prose.

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