I, Claudius cover art

I, Claudius

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

I, Claudius

By: Robert Graves
Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £12.39

Buy Now for £12.39

About this listen

 Here is a major new recording and the riveting account of Ancient Rome in all its madness and debauchery.

The politics of empire-building and the hypocrisies, back-stabbings, and corruptions of Rome's first family come to light. First published in 1934, the book retains a marvelously modern and often comic tone, and is written in the form of Claudius' autobiography. This is gripping stuff, read by one of our finest actors, who also starred as Claudius in the classic television series.

©2007 CSA Telltapes Ltd. (P)2007 CSA Telltapes Ltd. Biographical Fiction Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Biography Ancient Rome Rome Ancient History
All stars
Most relevant
So, first. There’s one slight editing glitch about mid way through. But otherwise this is an amazing book that really stands the test of time. There is no family saga like this one. Bloody, twisted, full of wonderfully dark characters. And all of them are real. Everything that happens in this book is a matter of historical record. Possibly slightly sensationalised for fiction, but in general it’s all recorded in the ancient sources.
Derek Jacobi is brilliant. You wouldn’t expect anything else really. I’m old enough to have watched the BBC adaptation of this, and the sequel. Made in 1976. Derek Jacobi played Claudius in that too. If you can find a copy, do yourself a favour and watch it. It’s mesmerising.

Still a fantastic read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I watched the series and read the book. This audio book is the perfect combination.
Who other than Derek Jacobi can make Claudius come to life like this?
He was a great companion during many walks.

love it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I would have preferred the whole thing and length be damned but having Derek Jacobi read these is just so good.

Abridged but still a pleasure

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A perfect reading.... though the choice of Vivaldi to punctuate the chapters feels very intrusive and anachronistic.

Perfect reading

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What did you like most about I, Claudius?

The performance combined with the story brings this history to life in its awful glory

What about Derek Jacobi’s performance did you like?

you forget that this is a story and truly believe that he is Claudius

Any additional comments?

You need to listen when you can give it your full attention as there are many names and histories - well worth the effort. It's a book that you can return to again and again.

Give it your full attention

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews