Most Popular Books by Robert Graves

The I, Claudius author’s “lightning sharp interpretations and insights . . . are here brought to bear with equal effectiveness on the Book of Genesis” (Kirkus Reviews). This is a comprehensive look at the stories that make up the Old Testament and the Jewish religion, including the folk tales, apocryphal texts, midrashes, and other little-known documents that the Old Testament and the Torah do not include. In this exhaustive study, Robert Graves provides a fascinating account of pre-Biblical texts that have been censored, suppressed, and hidden for centuries, and which now emerge to give us a clearer view of Hebrew myth and religion than ever. Venerable classicist and historian Robert Graves recounts the ancient Hebrew stories, both obscure and familiar, with a rich sense of storytelling, culture, and spirituality. This book is sure to be riveting to students of Jewish or Judeo-Christian history, culture, and religion.

Robert Graves, classicist, poet and unorthodox critic, retells the Greek legends of gods and heroes for a modern audience. He demonstrates with a dazzling display of relevant knowledge that Greek mythology is �no more mysterious in content than are modern election cartoons�. All the scattered elements of each myth are assembled into a harmonious narrative, and many variants are recorded which may help to determine its ritual or historical meaning. Full indexes and references to the classical sources make the book as valuable to the scholar as the general reader. And a full commentary on each myth interprets the classical version in the light of contemporary archaeological and anthropological knowledge.

In this sequel to I, Claudius, the story of the Roman Emperor—on which the award-winning BBC TV series was based—continues . . . In I, Claudius, Robert Graves began the story of the limping, stammering young man who is suddenly thrust onto the throne after the death of Caligula. In Claudius the God, Graves continues the story, detailing Claudius’s thirteen-year reign and his ultimate downfall. Painting the vivid, tumultuous, and decadent society of ancient Rome with spectacular detail, Graves provides a tale that is instructive, compelling, and difficult to put down for both casual readers and students of Roman history.

First published in 1938, Count Belisarius is one of Robert Graves''s most consistently popular novels. A historical romance of the sixth century AD, this tells the story of Belisarius, the last of the great generals of the Roman Empire, who reconquered Africa and Italy for the emperor in Constantinople, only to be rewarded with suspicion and humiliation. Lawrence and the Arabs also tells of a military hero, but one whom Graves knew personally and who was still living when this first authorized biography was published in 1927. Both as an attempt to tell the story of the Arab Revolt and Lawrence''s place in it, and as an installment in the growth of the legend of Lawrence of Arabia, it is an important historical and literary document. Read together, these books show Graves exploring the nature of heroism in a world grown profoundly suspicious of heroes.

“Both the knowledge of a scholar and the imagination of a poet are brought to bear upon Jesus as child, boy, and man. . . . A bold speculative adventure” (Harold Brighouse, Manchester Guardian). In Robert Graves’s unique retelling, Jesus is very much a mortal and the grandson of King Herod the Great. When his father runs afoul of the king’s temper and is executed, Jesus is raised in the house of Joseph the Carpenter. The kingdom he is heir to, in this version of the story, is very much a terrestrial one: the Kingdom of Judah. Graves tells of Jesus’s rise as a philosopher, scriptural scholar, and charismatic speaker in sharp detail, as well as his arrest and downfall as a victim of pitiless Roman politics. Bringing together his unparalleled narrative skill and in-depth expertise in historical scholarship, renowned classicist and historical novelist Robert Graves brings the story of Jesus Christ to life in a strikingly unorthodox way, making this one of the most hotly contested novels Graves ever wrote—and possibly one of the most controversial ever written. It provides a fascinating new twist to a well-known story, one that fans of this historical period are sure to love. “This is not reading for the easily shocked; it definitely presents Jesus as a sage and a [poet], if not divine. It moves, as does all Mr. Graves’ writing, at a brilliant fast pace, and with a tremendous style.” —Kirkus Reviews

The well-known English poet & essayist here ventures his interpretations of the humoristic element in literature.

Robert Graves'' "The Feather Bed" represents a captivating literary work, where the prose is imbued with rich textures akin to the intricacy of lacework and the comfort suggested by the title. Graves, known for his intellectual depth and poetic prowess, crafts a narrative that is both intimate and universal, exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition. This edition by DigiCat Publishing breathes new life into Graves'' legacy, ensuring that the nuanced articulations of his literary style remain enshrined within the literary context. The fidelity to Graves'' original vision and the modern format make this edition both a testament to its time and a continuous source of insight for contemporary readers. In the tapestry of twentieth-century literature, Robert Graves stands out as an erudite and profoundly influential figure. His background as a poet, classical scholar, and novelist informs the texture of "The Feather Bed," reflecting an eclectic blend that echoes his multifaceted literary persona. The impetus for Graves'' work often lies in his experiences, especially his service in World War I, which not only influenced his poetry but also his prose. The personal philosophy and mythic elements that pervade his writing suggest an author engaging with not just the narrative at hand but also with the larger narrative of human experience. "The Feather Bed" is recommended for aficionados of literary art seeking complex emotional and intellectual resonance within a narrative. Graves'' work has the unique ability to transport readers across temporal and spatial boundaries, while also provoking contemplation about universal themes. This edition promises to offer an enriching reading experience for those who appreciate the delicate craft of storytelling and the profound capacity of literature to capture the ineffable qualities of life''s tapestry.

First published in the 1400s, these classic tales of King Arthur, Camelot, and adventures of the Knights of the Round Table are translated and presented in this edition that features a new introduction written by Nobel Prize nominee Robert Graves (I, Claudius).

Antigua, Penny, Puce is a tale of sibling rivalry in which Jane and Oliver fight for posession of a never-issued one-penny stamp from Antigua. They Hanged my Saintly Billy tells of Dr William Palmer, a notorious surgeon, racehorse owner and confessed forger who was also a thief.

An autobiographical work that describes firsthand the great tectonic shifts in English society following the First World War, Robert Graves''s Goodbye to All That is a matchless evocation of the Great War''s haunting legacy, published in Penguin Modern Classics. In 1929 Robert Graves went to live abroad permanently, vowing ''never to make England my home again''. This is his superb account of his life up until that ''bitter leave-taking'': from his childhood and desperately unhappy school days at Charterhouse, to his time serving as a young officer in the First World War that was to haunt him throughout his life. It also contains memorable encounters with fellow writers and poets, including Siegfried Sassoon and Thomas Hardy, and covers his increasingly unhappy marriage to Nancy Nicholson. Goodbye to All That, with its vivid, harrowing descriptions of the Western Front, is a classic war document, and also has immense value as one of the most candid self-portraits of an artist ever written. Robert Ranke Graves (1895-1985) was a British poet, novelist, and critic. He is best known for the historical novel I, Claudius and the critical study of myth and poetry The White Goddess. His autobiography, Goodbye to All That, was published in 1929, quickly establishing itself as a modern classic. Graves also translated Apuleius, Lucan and Suetonius for the Penguin Classics, and compiled the first modern dictionary of Greek Mythology, The Greek Myths. His translation of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám (with Omar Ali-Shah) is also published in Penguin Classics. If you enjoyed Goodbye to All That, you might like Ford Madox Ford''s Parade''s End, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. ''His wonderful autobiography'' Jeremy Paxman, Daily Mail

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. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Claudius Novels includes Robert Graves'' best known historical novels, I, Claudius and Claudius the God. In I, Claudius, Robert Graves begins the story of the limping, stammering young man who is suddenly thrust onto the throne after the death of Caligula. Once a rather bookish young man with a limp and a stammer, a man who spent most of his time trying to stay away from the danger and risk of the line of ascension, Claudius seemed an unlikely candidate for Emperor. Yet, on the death of Caligula, Claudius finds himself next in line for the throne, and must stay alive as well as keep control. Drawing on the histories of Plutarch, Suetonius, and Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, noted historian and classicist Robert Graves tells the story of the much-maligned Emperor Claudius with both skill and compassion. Weaving important themes throughout about the nature of freedom and safety possible in a safety and a monarchy, Graves'' Claudius is both more effective and more tragic than history typically remembers him. A best-selling novel and one of Graves'' most successful, I, Claudius has been adapted to television, film, theatre, and audio. In Claudius the God, Graves continues the story, detailing Claudius'' 13-year reign and his ultimate downfall. Painting the vivid, tumultuous, and decadent society of ancient Rome with spectacular detail, Robert Graves provides a tale that is both instructive and compelling, and difficult to put down for both casual readers and students of Roman history.

In these true stories, the acclaimed writer Robert Graves explores the worlds of two men intent on success. Wife to Mr. Milton is an exploration into the marriage of a man the author considered one of the heinous monsters in the English poetic pantheon--John Milton--and how his wife was ill-used by him. Milton''s first wife was 16 when they married, and Milton was after her dowry. When it did not follow he proved domineering and dishonest, unresponsive to her sensuousness and her down-to-earth wit. It was a spiritual misalliance, too: her Catholicism sorted ill with his beliefs. The dramatic political and military events of the English civil war touched her life at every point, including the execution of Charles I. The Isles of Unwisdom visits a different, very Catholic world, that of the expeditions of the Spanish explorers and discoverers, near contemporaries of Milton but not emancipated by the Reformation, who come unstuck in the New World. Reconstructed is the ill-fated voyage of Alvaro de Mendana y Neya to find the Solomon Islands, popularly believed to constitute the fabled Land of Ophir, where King Solomon amassed his legendary wealth.

The greater part of this book will appear controversial, but any critic who expects me to argue on what I have written, is begged kindly to excuse me; my garrison is withdrawn without a shot fired and his artillery may blow the fortress to pieces at leisure. These notebook reflections are only offered as being based on the rules which regulate my own work at the moment, for many of which I claim no universal application and have promised no lasting regard. They have been suggested from time to time mostly by particular problems in the writing of my last two volumes of poetry. Hesitating to formulate at present a comprehensive water-tight philosophy of poetry, I have dispensed with a continuous argument, and so the sections either stand independently or are intended to get their force by suggestive neighbourliness rather than by logical catenation. The names of the glass houses in which my name as an authority on poetry lodges at present, are to be found on a back page. -- The Author

A modern classical scholar retells the Greek legends of heroes and gods

Retells the Greek myth of the adventures of Jason, Hercules, Orpheus, and the other Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece

A little boy finds a big green book in the attic, learns many handy magic spells, and changes his unpleasant aunt and uncle into likable guardians.