Write Out Loud (Reviews and Writing)

I, Claudius is another of those classic books that appears on every ‘Must Read’ list. Regular readers of my reviews might guess this would immediately make me suspicious regarding the quality. ‘Classics’ are very much a hit and miss affair.

Initially, I was not much impressed. Almost the entire book is in reported speech: Claudius narrating that so-and-so did this and such-and-such said that. It’s not a satisfying way to write a book in my opinion. I suspected fairly early on that this was going to be no more than a three-star review. If I really wanted to trudge through the lives of three Roman emperors in reported speech, I might just as well read an actual history textbook.

But then something strange occurred. It happened gradually and in stages. First, I was impressed by Graves writing style. For all the issues of reported speech, the prose flowed and was enticing. Then, the research was evidently excellent. I’m no Roman historian, but I’ve read far more literature on Roman history than I wish I had, not least because it is still the go-to, staple diet for schoolchildren. I happen to know a fair amount about Caligula (the last of the emperors whose story is told in this book) so I was particularly able to nod in approval as the author got his facts right.

This is all okay, but it went further. By the time I was halfway through the novel, I had warmed to the characters – especially Claudius himself, the stammering historian who manages to survive by playing the fool for decades. More than that, I began to get excited by the plot. With all the bizarre paranoid behaviours of the key characters, it was an exciting whirlwind of plots and counterplots. You never knew who was going to be executed or exiled next. I felt like a schoolboy again!

And, of course, by the end of the book, I wanted to know what happens to Claudius next. Indeed, unusually for me, I’ve already obtained the sequel. Claudius, the God. An amusing side note is that this one is an audio book narrated by – those of certain age will be able to guess – Derek Jacobi, the actor who many decades ago was well known for his portrayal of this titular character. I never watched the TV series from the late 1970s, but it was all but impossible not to know Jacobi associated with Claudius. As I read the book, I saw Jacobi throughout.

That side note does remind me actually that when reading this book, I heard all the key characters with British voices – especially when they were at their most pathetic (usually when they’ve gained tyrannical power). I don’t know if it is the the fault of Jacobi et al for this or whether the British voice lends itself to camp, whiny, psychotic behaviour. I suspect it is a combination of the two. Either way, I just can’t imagine Roman emperors with Italian accents. It has to be British and it has to sound like it is straight out of a Monty Python movie.

Overall then, I have chastised myself for my arrogant dismissal of reported speech. In the hands of a master writer like Graves, it works wonderfully well. I, Claudius was truly delightful and has given me a new-found love for all things Roman. How long it will last, we’ll have to see. I’ll update you when I’ve finished the sequel.

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 7.9 million times.

Get a free trial and 20% off Shortform by clicking here. Shortform is a brilliant tool and comes with my highest recommendation.

Social Entrepreneur, educationalist, bestselling author and journalist, D K Powell is the author of the bestselling collection of literary short stories “The Old Man on the Beach“. His first book, ‘Sonali’ is a photo-memoir journal of life in Bangladesh and has been highly praised by the Bangladeshi diaspora worldwide. Students learning the Bengali language have also valued the English/Bengali translations on every page. His third book is ‘Try not to Laugh’ and is a guide to memorising, revising and passing exams for students.

Both ‘The Old Man on the Beach’ and ‘Sonali’ are available on Amazon for kindle and paperback. Published by Shopno Sriti Media. The novel,’The Pukur’, was published by Histria Books in 2022.

D K Powell is available to speak at events (see his TEDx talk here) and can be contacted at dkpowell.contact@gmail.com. Alternatively, he is available for one-to-one mentoring and runs a course on the psychology of writing. Listen to his life story in interview with the BBC here.

Ken writes for a number of publications around the world. Past reviewer for Paste magazine, The Doughnut, E2D and United Airways and Lancashire Life magazine. Currently reviews for Northern Arts Review. His reviews have been read more than 7.9 million times.

Get a free trial and 20% off Shortform by clicking here. Shortform is a brilliant tool and comes with my highest recommendation.