Count Belisarius

I have had a copy of Count Belisarius for many years and have recently been re-reading the novel, hence this review. I, Claudius and Claudius The God have, unfortunately in my view, stolen all the attention so that Robert Graves' other novel tend to be forgotten. Books like Hercules, My Shipmate deserve to be as popular as Claudius and, likewise, Count Belisarius. Unlike Claudius, the events of the book are related by the eunuch Eugenius, who is a trusted slave to the family of Antonina. The book relates a lot of history in the opening chapters as the political setting of the Eastern Empire is brought up to date by Eugenius; he then describes the early years of his mistress Antonina and Belisarius, and how they meet at the banquet of Belisarius' uncle Modestus - love at first sight. The book continues describing the rise to prominence of Belisarius, his wars against the Persians, Vandals and Goths and his relationship with Antonina. Theodora and Justinian receive more attention at the beginning of the book and certainly less as the story is told but the book is about Belisarius and the focus is his career. Mr. Graves writes beautifully. One of the memorable passages describes the surrender of the Vandal king Geilimer who had been suffering great privations hiding out with the Moors. "I (Eugenius) was present at the meeting, in attendance on my mistress, and I was witness of King Geilimer's pitiful and strange behavour. For, as he came toward Belisarius, he smiled, and the smile changed to hysterical laughter, and the laughter to weeping. There were tears in Belisarius' eyes, too, as he took the former monarch by the hand and led him into a neighbouring house for a drink of water. He laid him down on a bed and comforted him as a woman comforts a sick child." Robert Graves goes beyond simply relating Procopius' Secret History; he is Eugenius and provides us with a balanced view of the events in the life of Belisarius and Antonina; the gossip of Procopius, like Antonina's relationship with her god-son Theodosius, is tempered by what probably was a minor indiscretion in a complicated relationship. A lesser writer would have had Antonina and Theodosius in bed. For me, Robert Graves brings the period of the 6th century to life and creates real people of the people inhabiting this time. If the book seems boring perhaps it is because the times are less familiar than the early Roman empire and peopled with individuals to whom it is difficult to relate. Perhaps, too, the bickering between Orthodox and Arrian Christians is of small interest to many readers but I have found it of interest that Christian's in the early centuries of the faith were more at odds than one would think. So if you have not read Count Belisarius I can without hesitation recommend the book as some of the finest writing of Robert Graves.

The more reviews I read and compare to my own impression of the same text and moving images, the less I understand about how people process information and come to conclusions. I couldn't disagree more with some of the reviewers below. Count Belisarius is richly detailed, filled with anecdotes and unfolding the "reality" of the time, the 6th century, and what it could have been like living in the Eastern Roman Empire and Constantinople/Byzantium. I find myself re-reading paragraphs because of the richness of the language, the images evoked, the deep characterization and the fascinating stories the narrator tells within the novel. I haven't read Procopius, he is on the shelf with the rest of my classics books, but my impression is that Graves has sifted through the source material with a fine toothed comb. I could make a comparison to Gary Jennings, another master historical fiction writer, and his book, Raptor, which takes place about the same time as Count Belisarius. But Raptor, while a highly rewarding reading experience that I was sorry had to end, was hard to get started on, as many great books are in my experience.

Mine is a biased judgement. This book started me off on a lot of very fruitful and productive thinking about Graves's novels. It's funny, gripping and a wonderful blend of rewriting of the 18th century sentimental classic by Marmontel with contemporary anthropology, classicism and a touch of personal speculation. The narrative context is entirely plausible and the story shows that Roman politics were as sordid and twisted as ever even after the Roman conversion to Christianity.

a fine historical novel i do not hesitate to strongly recommend

If you loved "I, Claudius" please read this book as well! It's about the sixth century Byzantine general Belisarius in the service of the great emperor Justinian. Belisarius is the scorge of the Vandals, the Persians and the Goths, but they are not the only enemies he has. Back in Constantinople the emperor, jealous of his succes, is continuously plotting against his loyal subject. If it weren't for the friendship between Belisarius' wife and the empress Theodora, things would have looked much bleaker for the Roman empire because Belisarius is doing just fine in kicking the barbarians back to the frontiers of the old empire. Fans of historical novels and Graves will find much to enjoy here and in the process learn a lot about a relatively unknown period in the history of the Roman empire, namely the one after the fall of the Western Empire and between the actual Byzantine period. This is a period when the emperors in Constantinople still considered themselves to be masters of the entire mediterranean, if not in actuality , then at least in name and constantly strove to reassert their authority. In conclusion this is a real pearl and not to be misssed by fans of Graves or for that matter by anybody interested in reading great historical novels. Remco Groeneveld