'Good-Bye to All That: An Autobiography' by Robert Graves is a seminal work that vividly captures the harrowing experiences of a young British officer during World War I. Published in 1929, the book provides a candid and unflinching portrayal of life in the trenches, exploring the brutality and absurdity of war. Graves recounts his childhood, education, and early literary career, interweaving personal anecdotes with his wartime experiences. The autobiography delves into his friendships with notable figures like Siegfried Sassoon and critiques the societal norms of early 20th-century Britain. The title reflects Graves' profound disillusionment with the pre-war world and the irrevocable changes brought by the conflict. With its clarity, wit, and honesty, 'Good-Bye to All That' remains an essential work in the canon of war literature, offering insights into the personal and collective trauma of a generation.
A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Robert Graves' brilliant account of the madness and debauchery of ancient Rome, starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and Derek Jacobi as Augustus. The wickedly entertaining inside story of the lives and deaths of the Imperial dynasty from Augustus to Caligula is told by their obscure relation, Claudius. In public, Claudius is a stammering, drooling weakling, whose reputation as an idiot keeps him safe from office and assassination. But in private, he's as sharp as they come, and keeps a secret history of everything he discovers. Until one day, as one of the few of his family left alive, he's acclaimed Emperor against his will. Can he save Rome from the corruption he's grown to detest? Featuring Derek Jacobi (who won a BAFTA for his performance as Claudius in the acclaimed 1977 BBC television production) as Augustus, and with an all-star cast, this gripping dramatisation will enthral anyone who loves the decadence of Ancient Rome.
Hear rare recordings from some of the world's most-respected poets reading their own works: Ezra Pound, Old Men With Beautiful Manners; William Butler Yeats, The Lake Isle Of Innisfree; Robert Graves, A Last Poem; Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Harp-Weaver; Richard Eberhart, The Groundhog; Philip Levine, Blasting From Heaven; Marianne Moore, The Mind Is An Enchanting Thing; Stephen Spender, What I Expected; Vachel Lindsay, An Interpolation By Mr. Lindsay.
T. E. Lawrence began his lifelong affair with the Middle East as a student at Oxford, taking a four-month walking tour of Syria to study the Crusaders' castles. He later returned to the area as an archaeologist and was attached to British Army Intelligence in Egypt at the outbreak of World War I. In 1916, he set out on his greatest adventure: with no backing, Lawrence joined Arab forces facing almost insurmountable odds in a rebellion against Turkish domination. His brilliance as a desert-war strategist made him a hero among the Arabs and a legend throughout the world, earning him the moniker "Lawrence of Arabia." But his near-pathological dislike of publicity led him to a life of self-imposed obscurity as T. E. Shaw, anonymous RAF soldier. This is the official biography of a unique leader of men whose larger-than-life presence still echoes.
"[Mr. Graves] has done his job admirably and without any too obvious excesses of hero worship."-New Statesman
Read in the style of a secret diary, this famous sequel to I, Claudius gives a wry and human view of the Roman world, bringing to life some of the most scandalous and violent times in history.
I, Claudius is Robert Graves' riveting account of Ancient Rome in all its madness and debauchery. First published in 1934, and written in the form of Claudius' autobiography, it endures as one of literature's most celebrated and compelling historical novels.
One of the best historical novels ever written. Lame, stammering Claudius, once a major embarrassment to the Imperial family and now Emperor of Rome, writes an eyewitness account of the reign of the first four Caesars: the noble Augustus and his cunning wife Livia; the reptilian Tiberius; the monstrous Caligula; and finally old Claudius himself and his wife Messalina. Filled with poisonings, betrayal, and shocking excesses, I, Claudius is history that rivals the most exciting contemporary fiction.
Claudius has survived the murderous intrigues of his predecessors to become, reluctantly, Emperor of Rome. Here, he recounts his surprisingly successful reign: how he cultivates the loyalty of the army and the common people to repair the damage caused by Caligula; his relations with the Jewish King Herod Agrippa; and his invasion of Britain. But the growing paranoia of absolute power and the infidelity of his promiscuous young wife, Messalina mean that his good fortune will not last forever. In this second part of Robert Graves' fictionalized autobiography, Claudius - wry, rueful, always inquisitive - brings to life some of the most scandalous and violent times in history.
