Monday, April 9, 2012

Ten of the best emperors in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best emperors in literature.

One entry on the list:
Robert Graves's Claudius

Graves gives us a gallery of emperors: wise Augustus, who is a fool when it comes to the scheming of his own wife, Livia; corrupt and sensual Tiberius; bonkers Caligula. The ruling presence is the narrator, stammering Claudius, saved from being murdered by the fact that he seems a dolt. In the end, he too will be laid low by the woman he loves.
Read about the other emperors on the list.

I, Claudius also appears on Andrew Miller's top ten list of historical novels, Mark Malloch-Brown's list of his six favorite novels of empire, Annabel Lyon's top ten list of books on the ancient world, Lindsey Davis' top ten list of Roman books, and John Mullan's list of ten of the best poisonings in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue