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Count Belisarius
A powerful, stirring novel of clashing destinies and list for power, by the author of I, Claudius
The Sixth Century was not a peaceful one for the Roman Empire. Invaders threatened on all frontiers; Huns, Vandals, Goths, Saracens, Moors, Persians. But they grew to fear and respect the name of Belisarius, horseman, archer, swordsman and military commander of incredible skill and daring. Belisarius led the Imperial armies wherever the Emperor Justinian sent him; to the Eastern Frontier on the Euphrates, across the Mediterranean to Carthage, and to Rome.
In his palace at Constantinople, Justinian plotted and intrigued, dominated by his wife Theodora whose spies were everywhere. Justinian hated Belisarius for his success, his nobility and his universal popularity. But Belisarius was the one man who cold save the Empire...
The Sixth Century was not a peaceful one for the Roman Empire. Invaders threatened on all frontiers; Huns, Vandals, Goths, Saracens, Moors, Persians. But they grew to fear and respect the name of Belisarius, horseman, archer, swordsman and military commander of incredible skill and daring. Belisarius led the Imperial armies wherever the Emperor Justinian sent him; to the Eastern Frontier on the Euphrates, across the Mediterranean to Carthage, and to Rome.
In his palace at Constantinople, Justinian plotted and intrigued, dominated by his wife Theodora whose spies were everywhere. Justinian hated Belisarius for his success, his nobility and his universal popularity. But Belisarius was the one man who cold save the Empire...
426 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
402 people are currently reading
4909 people want to read
About the author
Robert Graves
616 books2,018 followersRobert von Ranke Graves was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. Born in Wimbledon, he received his early education at King's College School and Copthorne Prep School, Wimbledon & Charterhouse School and won a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford. While at Charterhouse in 1912, he fell in love with G.H. Johnstone, a boy of fourteen ("Dick" in Goodbye to All That) When challenged by the headmaster he defended himself by citing Plato, Greek poets, Michelangelo & Shakespeare, "who had felt as I did".
At the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously "part of the war poetry boom". At the Battle of the Somme he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die, and indeed was officially reported as 'died of wounds'. He gradually recovered. Apart from a brief spell back in France, he spent the rest of the war in England.
One of Graves's closest friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was also an officer in the RWF. In 1917 Sassoon tried to rebel against the war by making a public anti-war statement. Graves, who feared Sassoon could face a court martial, intervened with the military authorities and persuaded them that he was suffering from shell shock, and to treat him accordingly. Graves also suffered from shell shock, or neurasthenia as it is sometimes called, although he was never hospitalised for it.
Biographers document the story well. It is fictionalised in Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. The intensity of their early relationship is nowhere demonstrated more clearly than in Graves's collection Fairies & Fusiliers (1917), which contains a plethora of poems celebrating their friendship. Through Sassoon, he also became friends with Wilfred Owen, whose talent he recognised. Owen attended Graves's wedding to Nancy Nicholson in 1918, presenting him with, as Graves recalled, "a set of 12 Apostle spoons".
Following his marriage and the end of the war, Graves belatedly took up his place at St John's College, Oxford. He later attempted to make a living by running a small shop, but the business failed. In 1926 he took up a post at Cairo University, accompanied by his wife, their children and the poet Laura Riding. He returned to London briefly, where he split with his wife under highly emotional circumstances before leaving to live with Riding in Deià, Majorca. There they continued to publish letterpress books under the rubric of the Seizin Press, founded and edited the literary journal Epilogue, and wrote two successful academic books together: A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927) and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies (1928).
In 1927, he published Lawrence and the Arabs, a commercially successful biography of T.E. Lawrence. Good-bye to All That (1929, revised and republished in 1957) proved a success but cost him many of his friends, notably Sassoon. In 1934 he published his most commercially successful work, I, Claudius. Using classical sources he constructed a complexly compelling tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius, a tale extended in Claudius the God (1935). Another historical novel by Graves, Count Belisarius (1938), recounts the career of the Byzantine general Belisarius.
During the early 1970s Graves began to suffer from increasingly severe memory loss, and by his eightieth birthday in 1975 he had come to the end of his working life. By 1975 he had published more than 140 works. He survived for ten more years in an increasingly dependent condition until he died from heart
At the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously "part of the war poetry boom". At the Battle of the Somme he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die, and indeed was officially reported as 'died of wounds'. He gradually recovered. Apart from a brief spell back in France, he spent the rest of the war in England.
One of Graves's closest friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was also an officer in the RWF. In 1917 Sassoon tried to rebel against the war by making a public anti-war statement. Graves, who feared Sassoon could face a court martial, intervened with the military authorities and persuaded them that he was suffering from shell shock, and to treat him accordingly. Graves also suffered from shell shock, or neurasthenia as it is sometimes called, although he was never hospitalised for it.
Biographers document the story well. It is fictionalised in Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. The intensity of their early relationship is nowhere demonstrated more clearly than in Graves's collection Fairies & Fusiliers (1917), which contains a plethora of poems celebrating their friendship. Through Sassoon, he also became friends with Wilfred Owen, whose talent he recognised. Owen attended Graves's wedding to Nancy Nicholson in 1918, presenting him with, as Graves recalled, "a set of 12 Apostle spoons".
Following his marriage and the end of the war, Graves belatedly took up his place at St John's College, Oxford. He later attempted to make a living by running a small shop, but the business failed. In 1926 he took up a post at Cairo University, accompanied by his wife, their children and the poet Laura Riding. He returned to London briefly, where he split with his wife under highly emotional circumstances before leaving to live with Riding in Deià, Majorca. There they continued to publish letterpress books under the rubric of the Seizin Press, founded and edited the literary journal Epilogue, and wrote two successful academic books together: A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927) and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies (1928).
In 1927, he published Lawrence and the Arabs, a commercially successful biography of T.E. Lawrence. Good-bye to All That (1929, revised and republished in 1957) proved a success but cost him many of his friends, notably Sassoon. In 1934 he published his most commercially successful work, I, Claudius. Using classical sources he constructed a complexly compelling tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius, a tale extended in Claudius the God (1935). Another historical novel by Graves, Count Belisarius (1938), recounts the career of the Byzantine general Belisarius.
During the early 1970s Graves began to suffer from increasingly severe memory loss, and by his eightieth birthday in 1975 he had come to the end of his working life. By 1975 he had published more than 140 works. He survived for ten more years in an increasingly dependent condition until he died from heart
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
December 17, 2020
Robert Graves's sources for Count Belisarius include some of the great historical works of classical antiquity: Livy, Procopius, Thucydides, Herodotus, and certainly Xenophon in the Persian war sections. The novel is set in the sixth century of our era. Belisarius is perhaps the last loyal general the Roman Empire can still count on. He is deeply Christian (Orthodox) but with an admirable tolerance for divergent views (Arianism, Monophysitism, etc.). He is also a military leader of genius. The accounts of his successes in Persia, Carthage, and Italy, are depicted at length. The Seige of Rome by an Ostrogoth army ten times the size of Belisarius's own constitutes a set piece of extraordinary brilliance. If you like any of the classical histories mentioned, you will like this book. Be advised, however, that it tends to be better written than its models--or, I should say, than the English translations of those models that I have read. I wanted to read it because I liked the lethal palace intrigue so abundant in I, Claudius. That's here alright but the ramp up is longish. The first bits of intrigue don't begin until p. 102 of this edition; the backstabbing politics in earnest not until p. 150. But then hold on to your hoody because the last 300 pages are wonderful.
The book is narrated by Eugenius, the eunuch slave of Antonina, the entertainer and prostitute whom we first meet at a soiree given by the fourteen year old Belisarius's tutor. The Empress herself, Theodora, also a former prostitute, is an old friend of Antonina. In their youth they clubbed together with other girls and opened a brothel in Adrianople. Emperor Justinian, who met his empress in that house of pain, Graves's depicts as not very smart and easily led by those motivated almost solely by self interest. They ruthlessly smear Belisarius's squeaky-clean reputation and eventually succeed in driving this brilliant man from Justinian's good graces. I can't begin to hint at the intrigue and casuistry on display here. The sheer cruelty and malice. The incompetence, usually driven by jealousy, of Belisarius's generals. You simply must read it for yourself. Suffice it to say that the last 300 pages are on a par with I, Claudius and somewhat better in my view than Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina. I think Graves's may have wanted to provide a more in-depth opening since details of the late Roman Empire are less well known than those of the classical period. That's my guess, anyway. Exuberantly recommended despite the slow start, especially for lovers of the historical novel.
This beautiful edition was produced by The Folio Society (London).
The book is narrated by Eugenius, the eunuch slave of Antonina, the entertainer and prostitute whom we first meet at a soiree given by the fourteen year old Belisarius's tutor. The Empress herself, Theodora, also a former prostitute, is an old friend of Antonina. In their youth they clubbed together with other girls and opened a brothel in Adrianople. Emperor Justinian, who met his empress in that house of pain, Graves's depicts as not very smart and easily led by those motivated almost solely by self interest. They ruthlessly smear Belisarius's squeaky-clean reputation and eventually succeed in driving this brilliant man from Justinian's good graces. I can't begin to hint at the intrigue and casuistry on display here. The sheer cruelty and malice. The incompetence, usually driven by jealousy, of Belisarius's generals. You simply must read it for yourself. Suffice it to say that the last 300 pages are on a par with I, Claudius and somewhat better in my view than Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina. I think Graves's may have wanted to provide a more in-depth opening since details of the late Roman Empire are less well known than those of the classical period. That's my guess, anyway. Exuberantly recommended despite the slow start, especially for lovers of the historical novel.
This beautiful edition was produced by The Folio Society (London).
April 24, 2016
"For not by numbers of men, nor by measure of body, but by valor of soul is war to be decided."
-- Belisarius
I love the story of Belisarius. Did Robert Graves abuse history in writing this? I certainly hope so. By the end, however, I didn't really care if Belisarius was as good as Graves made him out to be, if the narrator, Eugenius, (Belisarius' wife Antonia's manservant ) is unreliable, or if Antonia slept with one man or many after marrying this 'Last Great Roman'. Graves bends this story into his own parable about power, corruption, honor and ingenuity. Other generals and the emperor Justinian serve as counter-examples of Belisaurius and also reflect the time he lived. The book wasn't perfect, but it was a great book about a near perfect man.
'Count Belisarius' does make me want to dig deeper into Procopius' History of the Wars of Justinian and The Secret History. I think the brilliance of writers like Robert Graves and Hilary Mantel is their ability (through historical fiction) to capture something MORE than history. Much of Belisarius' life is lost. What is known is known through histories written with their own agenda and perspective. Graves novel gives us room to imagine a world that may not be accurate, but is an idealized version of what we WANT to believe we are capable. With the void of the past containing almost an infinite number of possibilities, it is reasonable to want to find pure motives and heroics in those figures of the past. Procopius can keep his cuckolded history, I'll take Grave's virtuous fiction any day.
-- Belisarius
I love the story of Belisarius. Did Robert Graves abuse history in writing this? I certainly hope so. By the end, however, I didn't really care if Belisarius was as good as Graves made him out to be, if the narrator, Eugenius, (Belisarius' wife Antonia's manservant ) is unreliable, or if Antonia slept with one man or many after marrying this 'Last Great Roman'. Graves bends this story into his own parable about power, corruption, honor and ingenuity. Other generals and the emperor Justinian serve as counter-examples of Belisaurius and also reflect the time he lived. The book wasn't perfect, but it was a great book about a near perfect man.
'Count Belisarius' does make me want to dig deeper into Procopius' History of the Wars of Justinian and The Secret History. I think the brilliance of writers like Robert Graves and Hilary Mantel is their ability (through historical fiction) to capture something MORE than history. Much of Belisarius' life is lost. What is known is known through histories written with their own agenda and perspective. Graves novel gives us room to imagine a world that may not be accurate, but is an idealized version of what we WANT to believe we are capable. With the void of the past containing almost an infinite number of possibilities, it is reasonable to want to find pure motives and heroics in those figures of the past. Procopius can keep his cuckolded history, I'll take Grave's virtuous fiction any day.
October 20, 2022
Historical fiction telling of the life of the last of the Great Romans, Belisarius. I loved this book, it is about a period of Roman history, the sixth century, that I knew very little. Graves gives the reader plenty of court intrigue inside the Eastern Roman Empire but also plenty of action as Belisarius was a general who was sent all over the Empire from Persia to Carthage to Italy.
The writing style is so accessible, and in the tradition of all great historical fiction Graves gives us what seems like true history as well as a ripping story. Greatly recommended for those who enjoyed I Claudius as well as those interested in the late Roman Empire.
The writing style is so accessible, and in the tradition of all great historical fiction Graves gives us what seems like true history as well as a ripping story. Greatly recommended for those who enjoyed I Claudius as well as those interested in the late Roman Empire.
May 12, 2011
Late Roman historical fiction with a solid base in fact. Belisarius was a roman general who served Justinian in the sixth century. Graves uses Procopius as a base for his account and has the story told by of of Antonina's (Belisarius's wife) eunuchs. Justinian is well drawn as the monster he was and there are entertaining accounts of early Christian heresies. It's been a while since I've read about Monophysites and Arians. Belisarius is portrayed as impossibly good and honourable and both of the main female characters (Antonina and Theodora, Justinian's wife) spend much time scheming. There is glut of battle scenes, descriptions of campaigns, seiges and the deployment of soldiers. I suppose I am churlish to complain as it is a novel about a general! I enjoyed it and it reads easily. If you like noble soldiers, a general in the Russell Crowe mould, corrupt bishops and popes, a homicidal emperor, lots of intrigue, courtesans and numerous battles; you will love this.
For me, I was a little disappointed; not the same calibre as I Claudius.
For me, I was a little disappointed; not the same calibre as I Claudius.
July 1, 2023
İstanbul'u İstanbul yapan Bizans İmparatorluğu'na yeterince sahip çıkılmayışını çok üzücü bulurum. İtalyanlar Roma'yı, Yunanlar antik dönemi, biz ise Osmanlı'yı sahiplendiğimiz için, günümüzde mirası sahipsiz bırakılmış bir imparatorluk Bizans, maalesef. Başkentinde yaşadığımız için ne kadar şanslı olduğumuzu keşke anlayabilsek.
Bizans'ı öğrenmek İstanbul'la ilişkimizi derinleştirmek anlamına da geldiğinde üniversitede çokça Bizans dersi aldım, iyi ki yapmıştım. Belisarios'la işte o zamanlar tanışmıştım. İmparatorlukların tarihleri hep hükümdarlar üzerinden anlatılır malum, ancak kimi dönemlere damgasını imparatorlar değil, yetenekli, sadık, zeki ikinci adamları vurmuştur. Belisarios işte onların en görkemlilerinden biri.
Herkes Jüstinyen'i bilir, Belisarios'u ise çok az insan duymuştur. Oysaki Jüstinyen döneminde Bizans'ın elde ettiği devasa genişlemenin sorumlusu ta kendisi. Muazzam bir komutan, imparatordan çok daha fazla sevilen adil bir soylu ve tam da bu yüzden onca başarısına rağmen Jüstinyen tarafından türlü zulme uğramış biri. İstanbul'un gördüğü en büyük ayaklanmalardan biri olan Nika İsyanı'nı bastıran adam olarak adını ilk duyduğumda merak etmiş, kendisini epey araştırmıştım. Bundan 15 sene sonra Robert Graves'in bu kitabıyla bilgilerimi tazelemek ne hoş oldu. Dönemin ünlü tarih yazıcısı ve Bizans araştırmalarının temel kaynaklarından Prokopios'un tarihçelerinden yola çıkarak Belisarios'un öyküsünü romanlaştırmış ve eşi Antonia'nın hizmetkarı Eugneios'un ağzından anlatmış Graves. 500 küsur sayfa, su gibi akıp gidiyor.
İzninizle tarihin en enteresan kadınlarından biri olan Jüstinyen'in karısı Theodora'ya dair şu alıntıyla bitireyim, çünkü muhteşem: "Sonuçta kız, kocasına el değmemiş halde gideceğine, adet olan kızlık bozma töreninden geçmişti. Damadın şikâyetini duyan Theodora müthiş sinirlendi. 'Şu küçük beyin takındığı havalara bakın hele!' diye bağırdı. 'Sanırsınız ki kendisi ömründe hiçbir kızın bekâretini bozmamış. Bozukmuş!'" 💜
Bizans'ı öğrenmek İstanbul'la ilişkimizi derinleştirmek anlamına da geldiğinde üniversitede çokça Bizans dersi aldım, iyi ki yapmıştım. Belisarios'la işte o zamanlar tanışmıştım. İmparatorlukların tarihleri hep hükümdarlar üzerinden anlatılır malum, ancak kimi dönemlere damgasını imparatorlar değil, yetenekli, sadık, zeki ikinci adamları vurmuştur. Belisarios işte onların en görkemlilerinden biri.
Herkes Jüstinyen'i bilir, Belisarios'u ise çok az insan duymuştur. Oysaki Jüstinyen döneminde Bizans'ın elde ettiği devasa genişlemenin sorumlusu ta kendisi. Muazzam bir komutan, imparatordan çok daha fazla sevilen adil bir soylu ve tam da bu yüzden onca başarısına rağmen Jüstinyen tarafından türlü zulme uğramış biri. İstanbul'un gördüğü en büyük ayaklanmalardan biri olan Nika İsyanı'nı bastıran adam olarak adını ilk duyduğumda merak etmiş, kendisini epey araştırmıştım. Bundan 15 sene sonra Robert Graves'in bu kitabıyla bilgilerimi tazelemek ne hoş oldu. Dönemin ünlü tarih yazıcısı ve Bizans araştırmalarının temel kaynaklarından Prokopios'un tarihçelerinden yola çıkarak Belisarios'un öyküsünü romanlaştırmış ve eşi Antonia'nın hizmetkarı Eugneios'un ağzından anlatmış Graves. 500 küsur sayfa, su gibi akıp gidiyor.
İzninizle tarihin en enteresan kadınlarından biri olan Jüstinyen'in karısı Theodora'ya dair şu alıntıyla bitireyim, çünkü muhteşem: "Sonuçta kız, kocasına el değmemiş halde gideceğine, adet olan kızlık bozma töreninden geçmişti. Damadın şikâyetini duyan Theodora müthiş sinirlendi. 'Şu küçük beyin takındığı havalara bakın hele!' diye bağırdı. 'Sanırsınız ki kendisi ömründe hiçbir kızın bekâretini bozmamış. Bozukmuş!'" 💜
April 30, 2013
I seem to be in the minority on this, but I found Count Belisarius to be a little disappointing. I’ve not read any Graves before, and I picked this particular novel over the more well known I, Claudius because I’ve always thought Belisarius’ life story was pretty cool and conveniently contained a bunch of dramatic elements that make it an accessible story – a military prodigy, honourable and loyal to an Emperor that often doubts and fears him, fighting to restore the Western Roman Empire and struggling with the plots and betrayals of supposed allies who are jealous of his prowess. ‘The Last Roman’ as he is sometimes romantically called, was victorious on three different continents, was the last Roman general to celebrate a triumph, captured Rome and Carthage and fought with and alongside Goths, Vandals, Huns, Slavs, Bulgars, Persians, Moors and more.
Graves writes in the style of Classical authors. The conceit is that this is the biography of Belisarius as written by his wife’s trusted domestic slave, and it possesses many of the flourishes and literary devices common to that period. But if I’m going to read something of that sort, I’d rather just go to the source itself and read some Procopius directly. Of course, if I did that, I would miss out on the fact that Count Belisarius is actually more a biography of the military leader’s remarkable wife, Antonina, and her close childhood friend, the Empress Theodora. This is a nice approach – both women are fascinating figures in their own right, but it wasn't enough in itself to really hook me.
The dialogue is often very stilted and formal. Belisarius is more of an archetypal Roman hero than an actual character, with his only flaws being an excess of virtue. Many other characters suffer similarly, being a collection of identifiable traits rather than fleshed out personalities. Everything is kept at a distance, at arm’s length, and everything is very dry, told in the same dusty tone. By the halfway mark I found myself skimming, and I read the rest of the book in that fashion, hoping it would grab me again at some point, but it never really did.
Graves writes in the style of Classical authors. The conceit is that this is the biography of Belisarius as written by his wife’s trusted domestic slave, and it possesses many of the flourishes and literary devices common to that period. But if I’m going to read something of that sort, I’d rather just go to the source itself and read some Procopius directly. Of course, if I did that, I would miss out on the fact that Count Belisarius is actually more a biography of the military leader’s remarkable wife, Antonina, and her close childhood friend, the Empress Theodora. This is a nice approach – both women are fascinating figures in their own right, but it wasn't enough in itself to really hook me.
The dialogue is often very stilted and formal. Belisarius is more of an archetypal Roman hero than an actual character, with his only flaws being an excess of virtue. Many other characters suffer similarly, being a collection of identifiable traits rather than fleshed out personalities. Everything is kept at a distance, at arm’s length, and everything is very dry, told in the same dusty tone. By the halfway mark I found myself skimming, and I read the rest of the book in that fashion, hoping it would grab me again at some point, but it never really did.
April 24, 2020
Irredeemable Corruption and Unwavering Loyalty: Justinian and Belisarius
I don't recall ever becoming more incensed reading a novel than I did with 'Count Belisarius'. The desire to see vengeance come to bloody fruition in 'Red Grass River' by James Carlos Blake was powerful; the sense of loss and sadness I felt when I finished reading 'Watership Down' was my earliest childhood inkling of the power that literature could exert. But the indignation roused by this portrait of irredeemably weak and corrupt rulers - the cowardly and unworthy scumbag Emperor Justinian and his black-hearted manipulatrix bitch of a wife, the Empress Theodora - was completely out of proportion for a fictionalized retelling of events that took place over one thousand five hundred years ago. I find it difficult to work up a self-righteous rage over anything anymore; it's too easy to become inured to atrocity and hypocrisy when you're bombarded by examples of it every time you glance at a screen. Perhaps the distance that time or fantasy provide between subject matter and the ability to address such wrongs is what allows me to emotionally engage. If the same injustice appeared in a documentary or an article in the Toronto Star, I'd likely flip the subconscious switch that shuts down the engines of empathy, and prevents me from feeling compelled to action. Yes, I'm doing all this shit backwards, just leave me & my broken head alone. I'm yet another victim of something of other, so move along. Such idiotic defense mechanisms are necessary, since most attempts at a behavioral course correction would be Quixotic, at best, and Psychotic, at worst (which is not to say that volunteerism - for example - is the bailiwick of the deluded or naive; the belief that our efforts will significantly address deeply ingrained societal problems is, however, deluded... and, ah... naive. The proper response to a mad world is to freeze!... and hope the Gods of Annihilation mistake you for a mailbox). But I digress.
Robert Graves was the absolute master of historical fiction, and perhaps better equipped than any 20th Century writer to create a story that dances with ease among the marble statuary of accepted facts and dates, acknowledging their weight, and placement. Lesser writers push the figures into patterns and groupings that suit the story they wish to tell, and some have no compunction about knocking over any likeness that gets in their way, removing characters and events from their retelling of history entirely. Graves had a long list of impressive accomplishments: as a classicist whose translation of Suetonius remains a standard, and whose two-volume retelling and revolutionary critique of 'The Greek Myths' heralded a more modern, psychological and anthropological approach; he applied this methodology more specifically in 'The White Goddess', which explored cross-cultural themes in mythology relating to the shift from matriarchal structures in hunter-gatherer societies, to the patriarchal structures that emerged with the development of agriculture. His voluminous knowledge of Ancient Rome made 'I, Claudius' and 'Claudius the God' the most complex and ambitious historical novels of their kind, respecting the historical record to concentrate on imagining the emotions and motivations and secrets that drove the great leaders and the mad men who made up the Julio-Claudian Dynasty.
Count Belisarius is a kind of epilogue to 'I, Claudius', moving from the murderous and destructive reigns of Tiberius and Caligula to the final, pitiful end, as Rome was invaded and sacked by barbarian tribes while Constantinople tried desperately to keep what was left of it's dominion. The rat-like Justinian and the calculating and cruel Theodora were examples of power that consumes everyone and everything around it, a parasitic monstrosity that fed on the dying body of the Empire and gave nothing back. The Empire existed for the sole purpose of satiating the abominations who ruled without right. Belisarius was a nobleman, but was a very different kind of leader. As the General in command of Justinian's army, Belisarius proved himself to be a military genius time and again. Regardless of Justinian's ineptitude and unwillingness to commit the men and money needed to prosecute his irresponsible campaigns, Belisarius found a way to triumph. Justinian then took all the credit for himself, and went so far as to punish the General for some imagined infraction, and refuse to reimburse him after he used his own funds to pay for equipment and soldiers' salaries. Belisarius, a devout Christian and unwaveringly loyal subject accepted all this without a word of complaint. Driven by jealousy, the Emperor then sent him off on a suicide mission in North Africa of no real strategic value, only to discover that a very real threat was surfacing much closer to home. When Belisarius returned, defying the odds, Justinian labeled him a coward who deserted the Empire when it needed him most, then sent him off to fight once more. When he returned, victorious, it was not as a hero. Justinian once again portrayed himself as the brilliant warrior-pope, while the General was stigmatized by slanderous lies. The death of Justinian did not make life easier for the almost saintly Belisarius, whose thoughts largely remain a mystery, his trusted man-servant narrating the tale instead. When the Empress Theodora, one of the most remarkable and infamous women in history, took control of the empire, she continued to exploit and persecute Belisarius in the same way her husband had.
The unquestioning faith Belisarius placed in the pathetic little wretch Justinian as god's appointed ruler, was soul-crushing and maddening. In a perverse sense, however, it is also admirable. But in the end, this is less a testament to the nobility of belief and loyalty than it is an argument against hereditary succession of power, and of tyranny in general.
I don't recall ever becoming more incensed reading a novel than I did with 'Count Belisarius'. The desire to see vengeance come to bloody fruition in 'Red Grass River' by James Carlos Blake was powerful; the sense of loss and sadness I felt when I finished reading 'Watership Down' was my earliest childhood inkling of the power that literature could exert. But the indignation roused by this portrait of irredeemably weak and corrupt rulers - the cowardly and unworthy scumbag Emperor Justinian and his black-hearted manipulatrix bitch of a wife, the Empress Theodora - was completely out of proportion for a fictionalized retelling of events that took place over one thousand five hundred years ago. I find it difficult to work up a self-righteous rage over anything anymore; it's too easy to become inured to atrocity and hypocrisy when you're bombarded by examples of it every time you glance at a screen. Perhaps the distance that time or fantasy provide between subject matter and the ability to address such wrongs is what allows me to emotionally engage. If the same injustice appeared in a documentary or an article in the Toronto Star, I'd likely flip the subconscious switch that shuts down the engines of empathy, and prevents me from feeling compelled to action. Yes, I'm doing all this shit backwards, just leave me & my broken head alone. I'm yet another victim of something of other, so move along. Such idiotic defense mechanisms are necessary, since most attempts at a behavioral course correction would be Quixotic, at best, and Psychotic, at worst (which is not to say that volunteerism - for example - is the bailiwick of the deluded or naive; the belief that our efforts will significantly address deeply ingrained societal problems is, however, deluded... and, ah... naive. The proper response to a mad world is to freeze!... and hope the Gods of Annihilation mistake you for a mailbox). But I digress.
Robert Graves was the absolute master of historical fiction, and perhaps better equipped than any 20th Century writer to create a story that dances with ease among the marble statuary of accepted facts and dates, acknowledging their weight, and placement. Lesser writers push the figures into patterns and groupings that suit the story they wish to tell, and some have no compunction about knocking over any likeness that gets in their way, removing characters and events from their retelling of history entirely. Graves had a long list of impressive accomplishments: as a classicist whose translation of Suetonius remains a standard, and whose two-volume retelling and revolutionary critique of 'The Greek Myths' heralded a more modern, psychological and anthropological approach; he applied this methodology more specifically in 'The White Goddess', which explored cross-cultural themes in mythology relating to the shift from matriarchal structures in hunter-gatherer societies, to the patriarchal structures that emerged with the development of agriculture. His voluminous knowledge of Ancient Rome made 'I, Claudius' and 'Claudius the God' the most complex and ambitious historical novels of their kind, respecting the historical record to concentrate on imagining the emotions and motivations and secrets that drove the great leaders and the mad men who made up the Julio-Claudian Dynasty.
Count Belisarius is a kind of epilogue to 'I, Claudius', moving from the murderous and destructive reigns of Tiberius and Caligula to the final, pitiful end, as Rome was invaded and sacked by barbarian tribes while Constantinople tried desperately to keep what was left of it's dominion. The rat-like Justinian and the calculating and cruel Theodora were examples of power that consumes everyone and everything around it, a parasitic monstrosity that fed on the dying body of the Empire and gave nothing back. The Empire existed for the sole purpose of satiating the abominations who ruled without right. Belisarius was a nobleman, but was a very different kind of leader. As the General in command of Justinian's army, Belisarius proved himself to be a military genius time and again. Regardless of Justinian's ineptitude and unwillingness to commit the men and money needed to prosecute his irresponsible campaigns, Belisarius found a way to triumph. Justinian then took all the credit for himself, and went so far as to punish the General for some imagined infraction, and refuse to reimburse him after he used his own funds to pay for equipment and soldiers' salaries. Belisarius, a devout Christian and unwaveringly loyal subject accepted all this without a word of complaint. Driven by jealousy, the Emperor then sent him off on a suicide mission in North Africa of no real strategic value, only to discover that a very real threat was surfacing much closer to home. When Belisarius returned, defying the odds, Justinian labeled him a coward who deserted the Empire when it needed him most, then sent him off to fight once more. When he returned, victorious, it was not as a hero. Justinian once again portrayed himself as the brilliant warrior-pope, while the General was stigmatized by slanderous lies. The death of Justinian did not make life easier for the almost saintly Belisarius, whose thoughts largely remain a mystery, his trusted man-servant narrating the tale instead. When the Empress Theodora, one of the most remarkable and infamous women in history, took control of the empire, she continued to exploit and persecute Belisarius in the same way her husband had.
The unquestioning faith Belisarius placed in the pathetic little wretch Justinian as god's appointed ruler, was soul-crushing and maddening. In a perverse sense, however, it is also admirable. But in the end, this is less a testament to the nobility of belief and loyalty than it is an argument against hereditary succession of power, and of tyranny in general.
June 9, 2014
One evening, towards the beginning of secondary school, I was standing in front of the desk in an alcove off the living room above which were most of my father's displayed books on long shelves reaching from wall to wall. As he was nearby and I was looking for something interesting to read, I asked his recommendation.
Dad told me that one of his favorite authors was Robert Graves whose novels had seen him through much of World War II on shipboard in both theatres. He pulled out a cheap paperback edition of Count Belisarius probably because he knew that I was taking Latin I and particularly interested in Greco-Roman history.
Belisarius was, historically speaking, a bit beyond me. I knew the "golden ages" of Greece and Rome pretty well, even a lot of confused stuff about the Roman Republic, but affairs of the Constantinopolitan sixth century empire of Justinian, indeed the whole period between Constantine and the, shudder, Dark Ages were terra incognita. Graves' well-researched novel was therefore an introduction to the history of the period when the Empire attempted to regain the West.
Some Christians may be offended by Graves' treatment of the role of religion in this world, but, as in all of his historical novels, the text is so well-researched that one could footnote the paragraphs.
Dad told me that one of his favorite authors was Robert Graves whose novels had seen him through much of World War II on shipboard in both theatres. He pulled out a cheap paperback edition of Count Belisarius probably because he knew that I was taking Latin I and particularly interested in Greco-Roman history.
Belisarius was, historically speaking, a bit beyond me. I knew the "golden ages" of Greece and Rome pretty well, even a lot of confused stuff about the Roman Republic, but affairs of the Constantinopolitan sixth century empire of Justinian, indeed the whole period between Constantine and the, shudder, Dark Ages were terra incognita. Graves' well-researched novel was therefore an introduction to the history of the period when the Empire attempted to regain the West.
Some Christians may be offended by Graves' treatment of the role of religion in this world, but, as in all of his historical novels, the text is so well-researched that one could footnote the paragraphs.
December 5, 2017
I read COUNT BELISARIUS now for two reasons. The first is that I loved Graves' Claudius novels and welcomed the opportunity to read another of his books. Second, seeing another review of this book on GoodReads some months ago caused me to realize that I know almost nothing about the Eastern Roman Empire, even though I have read quite a bit about the Roman Republic and the early decades of the Western Empire. Reading COUNT BELISARIUS seemed an easy way to begin to wade into an unfamiliar epoch in the history of western culture.
But first I had to acquire a copy of the book. I ordered it on my eReader and the weirdest thing happened. I received the download. The cover of the downloaded book was sure enough COUNT BELISARIUS. But when i opened up the book, the text was 2001, A SPACE ODYSSEY. Seriously. I can't account for it. I had never read 2001, so I took advantage of the mis-delivery and read what was delivered. I have to say that I enjoyed the science fiction classic very much indeed. But I still did not have a copy of COUNT BELISARIUS. So I ordered it in hard copy from Amazon and quickly had it in my hands.
I was uninformed about Belisarius before I began reading. I knew little more than you can glean from the blurb on the dust cover of the book. He was Emperor Justinian's most successful general. He received many honors early in his military career and became a favorite of the public in Constantinople. But as Belisarius grew in the esteem of the public, he became the frequent target of intrigue in Justinian's court. The emperor himself may have encouraged much of the intrigue. He seems to have been quite jealous of Belisarius.
Belisarius may also have been one of the most famous cuckhold's of the ancient world. It's an odd story. He seems to have adored his wife who was older and much more experienced than he. She had been an exotic dancer earlier in life, and her experience included all that implies. The thing that made it possible for her to "marry up" to a noble personage like Belisarius is that Justinian's wife also had been a dancer. In fact, Justinian and Belisarius' wives had been close friends when they were young. At crucial times in Belisarius' military career that friendship is the only thing that kept him from being completely ostracized from court, if not worse, as Justinian grew to fear Belisarius as a potential rival.
The facts upon which this novel is based alone would be enough for a compelling work of fiction. But Graves made a surprising choice that makes the book even more interesting. He chose to portray Belisarius as a saintly Jack Armstrong-type character, who never wavered in his loyalty to Justinian. Belisarius was handsome, athletic and brilliant. He was the best archer in the imperial army and a courageous swordsman. He was a valiant and talented general and beloved by his men. He was feared by the enemy who seem to have respected him uncommonly. He is portrayed as faithful to his wife, true to his emperor and without envy or ambition.
Given Belisarius' unrelenting goodness, the noxious treatment that he endured from his emperor and his cronies shocks the mind. Belisarius' patience and stoicism is inspiring. His example makes for a very interesting contrast with Justinian.
Although fiction, Graves' depiction of Belisarius' life is informative. Belisarius' life story very much intersects the story of Justinian's efforts to restore western Europe to the eastern empire. The reader will get a good sense of the political times simply reading about Belisarius' exploits at war in Persia and the near east, Africa, Italy and Thrace. That too makes this novel an engrossing read.
However, it is not as good as Graves' Claudius books. The narrator in COUNT BELISARIUS is manservant to Belisarius' wife. That rhetorical device does not measure up to what Graves accomplishes in the Claudius books which are narrated in the first person by Claudius himself, who happens to be a simpleton.
But first I had to acquire a copy of the book. I ordered it on my eReader and the weirdest thing happened. I received the download. The cover of the downloaded book was sure enough COUNT BELISARIUS. But when i opened up the book, the text was 2001, A SPACE ODYSSEY. Seriously. I can't account for it. I had never read 2001, so I took advantage of the mis-delivery and read what was delivered. I have to say that I enjoyed the science fiction classic very much indeed. But I still did not have a copy of COUNT BELISARIUS. So I ordered it in hard copy from Amazon and quickly had it in my hands.
I was uninformed about Belisarius before I began reading. I knew little more than you can glean from the blurb on the dust cover of the book. He was Emperor Justinian's most successful general. He received many honors early in his military career and became a favorite of the public in Constantinople. But as Belisarius grew in the esteem of the public, he became the frequent target of intrigue in Justinian's court. The emperor himself may have encouraged much of the intrigue. He seems to have been quite jealous of Belisarius.
Belisarius may also have been one of the most famous cuckhold's of the ancient world. It's an odd story. He seems to have adored his wife who was older and much more experienced than he. She had been an exotic dancer earlier in life, and her experience included all that implies. The thing that made it possible for her to "marry up" to a noble personage like Belisarius is that Justinian's wife also had been a dancer. In fact, Justinian and Belisarius' wives had been close friends when they were young. At crucial times in Belisarius' military career that friendship is the only thing that kept him from being completely ostracized from court, if not worse, as Justinian grew to fear Belisarius as a potential rival.
The facts upon which this novel is based alone would be enough for a compelling work of fiction. But Graves made a surprising choice that makes the book even more interesting. He chose to portray Belisarius as a saintly Jack Armstrong-type character, who never wavered in his loyalty to Justinian. Belisarius was handsome, athletic and brilliant. He was the best archer in the imperial army and a courageous swordsman. He was a valiant and talented general and beloved by his men. He was feared by the enemy who seem to have respected him uncommonly. He is portrayed as faithful to his wife, true to his emperor and without envy or ambition.
Given Belisarius' unrelenting goodness, the noxious treatment that he endured from his emperor and his cronies shocks the mind. Belisarius' patience and stoicism is inspiring. His example makes for a very interesting contrast with Justinian.
Although fiction, Graves' depiction of Belisarius' life is informative. Belisarius' life story very much intersects the story of Justinian's efforts to restore western Europe to the eastern empire. The reader will get a good sense of the political times simply reading about Belisarius' exploits at war in Persia and the near east, Africa, Italy and Thrace. That too makes this novel an engrossing read.
However, it is not as good as Graves' Claudius books. The narrator in COUNT BELISARIUS is manservant to Belisarius' wife. That rhetorical device does not measure up to what Graves accomplishes in the Claudius books which are narrated in the first person by Claudius himself, who happens to be a simpleton.
June 25, 2017
Fact-based fiction from the Byzantine era. Lots of battles, but (surprisingly, given the author) unspooled in a monotone. Belisarius fights off the Persians; he captures Carthage; next Sicily; and soon all of Italy south of the Po. But all the while, undermined by the Eastern Emperor Justinian, jealous of his popularity.
Sounds like the makings of a plot. Yet, because there's so little dialogue, the book becomes a term paper--and a hagiography. Were Robert Graves alive today, a shorter version -- for this is an ox-stunner of a book -- could be a Wikipedia entry.
Three stars: learned lots; bored to tears.
Sounds like the makings of a plot. Yet, because there's so little dialogue, the book becomes a term paper--and a hagiography. Were Robert Graves alive today, a shorter version -- for this is an ox-stunner of a book -- could be a Wikipedia entry.
Three stars: learned lots; bored to tears.
July 26, 2007
Although not quite the masterpiece that both of the Claudius novels are, Count Belisarius is a great read, and brings the period, the 6th century C.E. to vibrant life. The titular Count Belisarius is a devout Orthodox Christian general of the Eastern Roman empire during the reign of Justinian. The book, supposedly written by his wife's eunuch Eugenius, follows his campaigns in Rome and Northern Africa, chronicling the court intrigues and jealousies that prevent him from winning the glories that should have been his. Throughout, Belsarius remains a stoic Christian and loyal to the emperor who disdains him while envying his success.
What might make this book interesting to someone who is not particularly fascinated by late Roman military history (although, who isn't?) is the rich characterization and the wealth of believable period detail, something that Graves is remarkably adept at. These characters are not moderns playing out a historical narrative with some hastily-researched versimilitude tossed in for flavor. They are breathing humans of another era, with a completely different understanding of social order. Massacres are ordered over divergent opinions on the nature of the trinity. The preening, jealous figure of the Emperor Justinian is somehow able to grind the tattered remnants of the Empire into shreds without anyone raising more than a failed assasination attempt as a rebellion. Well, maybe not a completely different understanding of social order.
What might make this book interesting to someone who is not particularly fascinated by late Roman military history (although, who isn't?) is the rich characterization and the wealth of believable period detail, something that Graves is remarkably adept at. These characters are not moderns playing out a historical narrative with some hastily-researched versimilitude tossed in for flavor. They are breathing humans of another era, with a completely different understanding of social order. Massacres are ordered over divergent opinions on the nature of the trinity. The preening, jealous figure of the Emperor Justinian is somehow able to grind the tattered remnants of the Empire into shreds without anyone raising more than a failed assasination attempt as a rebellion. Well, maybe not a completely different understanding of social order.
November 7, 2017
Определено мога да заявя, че "Клавдий" е по-добрият роман. Има нещо леко дразнещо в този прийом, лишен от светлосенки, и леката идеализация на главния герой. Но като историк мога да призная на Грейвс, че е уловил доста добре пагубността на Юстиниановите амбиции и тяхната нелепост.
November 13, 2024
Sigh 😮💨 This book was so boring, a complete letdown. It should’ve been titled Antonina, considering how much of the story is spent on her. The choice of narrator made it hard to connect with the story—how am I supposed to believe a narrator who couldn’t possibly have witnessed every battle, conversation, and secret council meeting? There’s no logical way he’d have access to everyone’s thoughts or political schemes, yet we’re told all of this as if he has insider knowledge. It didn’t add up.
A third-person perspective , or a direct POV from Belisarius himself, would have made much more sense.
Justinian comes across as a cartoonish villain with no clear motivations, while Antonina feels like a conniving double-dealer, and Belisarius is portrayed as a flawless hero. For anyone looking for well-crafted historical fiction on Ancient Rome, I’d much sooner recommend Santiago Posteguillo
A third-person perspective , or a direct POV from Belisarius himself, would have made much more sense.
Justinian comes across as a cartoonish villain with no clear motivations, while Antonina feels like a conniving double-dealer, and Belisarius is portrayed as a flawless hero. For anyone looking for well-crafted historical fiction on Ancient Rome, I’d much sooner recommend Santiago Posteguillo
March 4, 2017
Cast in the form of a chronicle/memoir, written by Eugenius, the eunuch servant of Belisarius's wife, Antonina, this purports to tell the story of Count [Generalissimo] Belisarius, of the Eastern Roman army in the days of Justinian and Theodora, 6th century AD. It begins with the boy Belisarius and reveals his quick-thinking at so young an age. Becoming general, he cuts a wide swath through North Africa, Roman cities in Italy and Sicily. We see his tactical and strategic genius. He also deals with machinations at the court of Justinian and Theodora set against the broader history of that period.
The style was stilted, using pseudo-Victorian language, possibly imitating the style of a medieval chronicle to make it seem more realistic for the period. This put me off somewhat. The first few chapters introduced the characters and gave them personalities in broad strokes. The book was more interesting from Belisarius's quelling of the Nika [Victory] Riots, through his battles to regain the Western Roman Empire and final fate: 350+ pages or so. I could not get close to any of the characters; writing was mere reporting of facts as Eugenius remembered them. I believe much was taken from Procopius, historian who appears in the story. What he wrote we can't trust completely; the man had his own agenda.
Recommended, as a classic of the 6th century. A more readable fictional account of the events later in Belisarius's life is the novel Immortal Africanus by Matthew Jordan Storm.
The style was stilted, using pseudo-Victorian language, possibly imitating the style of a medieval chronicle to make it seem more realistic for the period. This put me off somewhat. The first few chapters introduced the characters and gave them personalities in broad strokes. The book was more interesting from Belisarius's quelling of the Nika [Victory] Riots, through his battles to regain the Western Roman Empire and final fate: 350+ pages or so. I could not get close to any of the characters; writing was mere reporting of facts as Eugenius remembered them. I believe much was taken from Procopius, historian who appears in the story. What he wrote we can't trust completely; the man had his own agenda.
Recommended, as a classic of the 6th century. A more readable fictional account of the events later in Belisarius's life is the novel Immortal Africanus by Matthew Jordan Storm.
November 20, 2020
"Yo, Claudio" suele opacar la atención que ameritan otras obras también geniales de Graves. Tal es el caso de "El Conde Belisario".
Esta bella obra histórica nos plantea en los albores de los cimientos de la civilización occidental cuando un mediocre emperador bizantino tomó dos muy buenas decisiones que llevarían a la reconquista de los territorios perdidos por el Imperio Romano en Occidente y sembrar el destino del mundo filo judeo-cristiano. Para los interesados en la historia jurídica, una de estas decisiones fue el famoso Código Justiniano, la segunda, confiar su milicia a un hombre honorable valiente y extraordinariamente leal, Belisario.
Esta bella obra, fiel al rigor de Graves, sitúa muy bien una época, sus sentires, sus ideas y sus conflictos, a la par que permite identificarte con el personaje y comprender en este caso en qué consistió su grandeza y a la vez si desgracia.
Al leer la última página de esta obra uno no pides sino estimar a Balisario y sentir pena por él, no sólo porque un hombre tan recto merecía un mejor destino, sino porque indudablemente el mundo occidental debe mucho de su ser a este personaje que, no obstante, pasa inadvertido usualmente
Esta bella obra histórica nos plantea en los albores de los cimientos de la civilización occidental cuando un mediocre emperador bizantino tomó dos muy buenas decisiones que llevarían a la reconquista de los territorios perdidos por el Imperio Romano en Occidente y sembrar el destino del mundo filo judeo-cristiano. Para los interesados en la historia jurídica, una de estas decisiones fue el famoso Código Justiniano, la segunda, confiar su milicia a un hombre honorable valiente y extraordinariamente leal, Belisario.
Esta bella obra, fiel al rigor de Graves, sitúa muy bien una época, sus sentires, sus ideas y sus conflictos, a la par que permite identificarte con el personaje y comprender en este caso en qué consistió su grandeza y a la vez si desgracia.
Al leer la última página de esta obra uno no pides sino estimar a Balisario y sentir pena por él, no sólo porque un hombre tan recto merecía un mejor destino, sino porque indudablemente el mundo occidental debe mucho de su ser a este personaje que, no obstante, pasa inadvertido usualmente
January 14, 2022
Üstüne çeşitli filmler ve diziler çekilmesi gereken bir karakter. Bizans tarihini bu kadar yakından tanıma imkanını sağladığı için kitaba bayıldım . Graves bu tarz hikayeleri romanlıştırmada tam bir dahi.
Want to read
August 4, 2023"Historical novel about Belisarius (ca. 500-565 AD), one of the famous generals of the Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I. Under B's leadership, the Vandal kingdom was conquered in Africa and the Ostrogoths were defeated in Italy. B. also repelled the attack of the Huns on Constantinople in 559,"
Wiki.
Wiki.
November 26, 2014
This had potential but unfortunately the choices made by Robert Graves make this a deeply unsatisfying read.
He chooses a narrator - eunuch servant Eugenius - on the fringe of the action, a man who can offer little insight. Instead of being inside the heads of Belisarius or Justinian or their wives, we can only observe them and get no sense of character development or motivation.
Graves also attempts to write in the style of a contemporary Roman text. A clever party trick perhaps, but one that seems to hobble the book. In the end, to quote Churchill on history, it just becomes one damned event after the other.
There's no shortage of research on show, but instead of providing insight, it weighs the book down.
Despite the potentially dramatic psychology of the relationship between Belisarius and Justinian, you end up not really caring. Belisarius is purely noble, Justinian purely loathsome - no nuance is on show.
The most interesting and well-drawn characters are actually their wives Antoninus and Theodora. A book offering their perspectives could have really flown. Instead I found myself skipping through the endless and over-described battles.
Count Belisarius though ultimately sinks under the weight of history. I ended up longing for either a non-fiction interpretation of events or a properly realised novelisation. This was neither.
He chooses a narrator - eunuch servant Eugenius - on the fringe of the action, a man who can offer little insight. Instead of being inside the heads of Belisarius or Justinian or their wives, we can only observe them and get no sense of character development or motivation.
Graves also attempts to write in the style of a contemporary Roman text. A clever party trick perhaps, but one that seems to hobble the book. In the end, to quote Churchill on history, it just becomes one damned event after the other.
There's no shortage of research on show, but instead of providing insight, it weighs the book down.
Despite the potentially dramatic psychology of the relationship between Belisarius and Justinian, you end up not really caring. Belisarius is purely noble, Justinian purely loathsome - no nuance is on show.
The most interesting and well-drawn characters are actually their wives Antoninus and Theodora. A book offering their perspectives could have really flown. Instead I found myself skipping through the endless and over-described battles.
Count Belisarius though ultimately sinks under the weight of history. I ended up longing for either a non-fiction interpretation of events or a properly realised novelisation. This was neither.
July 25, 2012
I read this (at least twice) years ago and I'm currently reading it again, but in the luxurious Folio Society's just-released edition. If you truly love books, the binding, the generosity of the paper and margins, the typesetting and typography, the Folio Society (of Britain) is for you. But you need deep pockets, the production values mean they are rarely cheap.
Reviews for Robert Graves' Count Belisarius at the time were mixed; some felt it didn't live up to his two Claudius novels, and it is quite different in tone, though not lacking in dry humor. Balisarius, a man of Slavic barbarian birth, rose to be the Emperor Justinian's greatest general, indeed he was one of the ancient world's finest strategists. He organized the reconquest of Africa from the Vandals, Italy from the Ostrogoths, and southern Spain from the Visigoths. Due to these efforts Justinian could lay claim to almost all the old Roman Empire, the first ruler for a hundred years. But great success bred enmity from all quarters, not least from Justinian himself and Belisarius fell from grace.
One of the great historical works of fiction.
Reviews for Robert Graves' Count Belisarius at the time were mixed; some felt it didn't live up to his two Claudius novels, and it is quite different in tone, though not lacking in dry humor. Balisarius, a man of Slavic barbarian birth, rose to be the Emperor Justinian's greatest general, indeed he was one of the ancient world's finest strategists. He organized the reconquest of Africa from the Vandals, Italy from the Ostrogoths, and southern Spain from the Visigoths. Due to these efforts Justinian could lay claim to almost all the old Roman Empire, the first ruler for a hundred years. But great success bred enmity from all quarters, not least from Justinian himself and Belisarius fell from grace.
One of the great historical works of fiction.
June 23, 2015
not quite I Claudius but then, it is hard to write a masterpiece like that; still very gopod and keeping me interested till the end
September 26, 2021
Written as a semi-historical account, Count Belisarius is perhaps better understood as a love ode to its protagonist, who always does the right thing .
It is not a masterpiece of characterisation, except as to Belisarius' wife Antonina, but the book holds up as still very readable, with notweworthy asides such as letters about elephants and other such diversions:
The breach was sealed up again, but when the Goths came next night to resume work they were confronted by a placard reading: 'Road closed. By Order of Belisarius.'
As to its historical worth, I suggest appreciating Graves' efforts but proceed with caution. The Ostrogothic nation did not exist at the Battle of Adrianople, and the comment:
Compare the fine, simple story contained in the four Gospels, obviously born among illiterate peasants and fishermen who never studied either grammar or rhetoric, which the wearisome philosophic Christianity of our time!
...feels a bit off even for someone writing contemporaneous with the time period - the Gospels are hardly simple. That being said, the breakdown of internal politics and religion serve as useful lodestars.
Still a very good flowing read.
It is not a masterpiece of characterisation, except as to Belisarius' wife Antonina, but the book holds up as still very readable, with notweworthy asides such as letters about elephants and other such diversions:
The breach was sealed up again, but when the Goths came next night to resume work they were confronted by a placard reading: 'Road closed. By Order of Belisarius.'
As to its historical worth, I suggest appreciating Graves' efforts but proceed with caution. The Ostrogothic nation did not exist at the Battle of Adrianople, and the comment:
Compare the fine, simple story contained in the four Gospels, obviously born among illiterate peasants and fishermen who never studied either grammar or rhetoric, which the wearisome philosophic Christianity of our time!
...feels a bit off even for someone writing contemporaneous with the time period - the Gospels are hardly simple. That being said, the breakdown of internal politics and religion serve as useful lodestars.
Still a very good flowing read.
December 1, 2015
The story is fun and pulpy, reaching a climax of downright addictive during Belisarius' initial conquests in Italy. The exasperated digressions on debates in current Christian theology, as told from the perspective of a reluctant convert who serves a false convert to Christianity, are hilarious. Graves' eye for historical detail and encyclopedic knowledge of his source material make the fictional world truly engrossing, and kept me happily reading.
The characters, however, are so ridiculously flat as to be meaningless: Belisarius is always good and loyal, and is as incapable of doing anything in his own self interest, or even reflecting on his own self interest, as a fish is incapable of running a marathon; Theodora is conniving and vain; Justinian is selfish, foolish, and vindictive, etc. I kept wanting better reasons for the characters to behave as they did in the story, but none were ever offered, and that was disappointing. In the final pages, the narrator makes explicit a longstanding analogy between the title character and Christ, paired with a fairly facile meditation on the effects that Christianity may have on an entire society's ability to prosper, but this is not enough to flesh out that character and make him of any real interest to the reader.
These shortcomings didn't make the book unenjoyable, but they are something that a lot of historical fiction could do better. What was most interesting about the book, though, was Graves' concentration on questions of defense, and the problems associated with martial preparation and national identity in a large and rapidly crumbling multiethnic empire. Seeing as the book was published in 1938 (and the narrator is explicitly British), it's difficult not to see this as a final, grand statement about the nature of Britain as the world's Rome, its civilized light and military leader, right as that light is burning its last and that military is headed for one final, pyrrhic victory.
The characters, however, are so ridiculously flat as to be meaningless: Belisarius is always good and loyal, and is as incapable of doing anything in his own self interest, or even reflecting on his own self interest, as a fish is incapable of running a marathon; Theodora is conniving and vain; Justinian is selfish, foolish, and vindictive, etc. I kept wanting better reasons for the characters to behave as they did in the story, but none were ever offered, and that was disappointing. In the final pages, the narrator makes explicit a longstanding analogy between the title character and Christ, paired with a fairly facile meditation on the effects that Christianity may have on an entire society's ability to prosper, but this is not enough to flesh out that character and make him of any real interest to the reader.
These shortcomings didn't make the book unenjoyable, but they are something that a lot of historical fiction could do better. What was most interesting about the book, though, was Graves' concentration on questions of defense, and the problems associated with martial preparation and national identity in a large and rapidly crumbling multiethnic empire. Seeing as the book was published in 1938 (and the narrator is explicitly British), it's difficult not to see this as a final, grand statement about the nature of Britain as the world's Rome, its civilized light and military leader, right as that light is burning its last and that military is headed for one final, pyrrhic victory.
September 20, 2014
I found reading this 24-chapter historical novel experientially interesting, however, it may look a bit formidable unless its readers have read some of Robert Graves' works to acquire familiarity with his writing style, detailed description and profound knowledge of the sixth-century Roman Empire.
February 20, 2024
This book was a gift from my friend Reed. I really enjoyed reading this book. If you are at all interested in the Eastern Roman Empire, this is a good pick.
You can tell the author read a lot of Procopious. The history was mostly well founded and follows the timeline of actual events.
My only issue was it got old hearing about how awesome Belisaurius is over and over and over, but now having finished the book, it had to be that way because of how shit on he was at the end.
A nice, fun, historical fiction that really pulls you into the Medieval Greek world.
You can tell the author read a lot of Procopious. The history was mostly well founded and follows the timeline of actual events.
My only issue was it got old hearing about how awesome Belisaurius is over and over and over, but now having finished the book, it had to be that way because of how shit on he was at the end.
A nice, fun, historical fiction that really pulls you into the Medieval Greek world.
June 7, 2024
Really enjoyed the start and really enjoyed the end but I can’t lie I SKIMMED the war stuff because I am primarily here for court intrigue and plots only. Shout out to Porphry. Maybe I, Claudius and Claudius the God got my hopes up for this one too much. I may have been rooting for Theodora or Antonina to be another Livia, possibly.
April 1, 2018
' "Quocunque jeceris, stabit.' - 'Wheresoever you cast it, it will find its feet.' "
A beautifully written tale of duty, honor, and loyalty in the face of disappointment, resentment, betrayal, and rejection -- with a love story and some adventure thrown in. Told from the point of a eunuch slave who served Belisarius's wife, the book reads like an ancient historical account. As per usual with Graves, his familiarity with and use of historical source material is evident throughout.
If you haven't read much about late antiquity or the Byzantine Empire, set aside any image you might have of Rome or Greece. Sure, the Byzantines were capable of some pretty remarkable artistic and architectural works, and were a formidable military power. Times were tough, though, and their world was greatly impoverished when compared to the heights of the Roman Empire (which is one reason why Belisarius's armies only number in the low tens of thousands, sometimes less, and were often poorly kitted out and supplied). Also, don't be surprised by the amount of energy and time devoted to discussion of theological minutiae, which appears to have been tied with chariot racing for the national obsession.
Graves (or Eugenius) takes a dim view of Justinian the Great; he's shown to be a petulant, indecisive, touchy, and inconstant ruler. On the other hand, his wife Theodora isn't all roses and sunshine, but she's a strong-willed and clever operator who deserves a good deal of the credit for Justinian's successes.
Belisarius himself is one of the most underrated military minds in all of history, who specializes in running campaigns on a shoestring budget. He never has enough men, he never has the right equipment (or enough of it), he often lacks money to pay his men, and his letters to Constantinople many times go unacknowledged. Even so, he leads expeditions to North Africa, to Sicily, to Italy and Rome, reconquering lost lands for the Empire. He topples kingdoms and captures kings, always with the odds heavily against him, with daring, with clever ruses, and with an almost intuitive understanding of tactics. For this success, Justinian comes to regard Belisarius as a threat to his power who must be contained, rather than a precocious talent to be cultivated and protected.
A beautifully written tale of duty, honor, and loyalty in the face of disappointment, resentment, betrayal, and rejection -- with a love story and some adventure thrown in. Told from the point of a eunuch slave who served Belisarius's wife, the book reads like an ancient historical account. As per usual with Graves, his familiarity with and use of historical source material is evident throughout.
If you haven't read much about late antiquity or the Byzantine Empire, set aside any image you might have of Rome or Greece. Sure, the Byzantines were capable of some pretty remarkable artistic and architectural works, and were a formidable military power. Times were tough, though, and their world was greatly impoverished when compared to the heights of the Roman Empire (which is one reason why Belisarius's armies only number in the low tens of thousands, sometimes less, and were often poorly kitted out and supplied). Also, don't be surprised by the amount of energy and time devoted to discussion of theological minutiae, which appears to have been tied with chariot racing for the national obsession.
Graves (or Eugenius) takes a dim view of Justinian the Great; he's shown to be a petulant, indecisive, touchy, and inconstant ruler. On the other hand, his wife Theodora isn't all roses and sunshine, but she's a strong-willed and clever operator who deserves a good deal of the credit for Justinian's successes.
Belisarius himself is one of the most underrated military minds in all of history, who specializes in running campaigns on a shoestring budget. He never has enough men, he never has the right equipment (or enough of it), he often lacks money to pay his men, and his letters to Constantinople many times go unacknowledged. Even so, he leads expeditions to North Africa, to Sicily, to Italy and Rome, reconquering lost lands for the Empire. He topples kingdoms and captures kings, always with the odds heavily against him, with daring, with clever ruses, and with an almost intuitive understanding of tactics. For this success, Justinian comes to regard Belisarius as a threat to his power who must be contained, rather than a precocious talent to be cultivated and protected.
October 2, 2024
What a disaster this book is. I really like Robert Graves but it's hard to imagine this is the same author who wrote I Claudius.
Whatever you do DO NOT get the seven stories press version of this book. There are so many typos and just random words and punctuation it's hard to even know what was meant sometimes.
Maybe if I reread I Claudius my opinion would change on it. I like the author as a writer but in this book he clearly fails to understand the Orthodox religion and is so modern in his perspective it makes it hard to even read this. Although if history given to us is true then I could see why he wouldn't want to understand early Christianity which has absolutely nothing to do with what he knows as Christianity. And the book tastes so British! I guess that's the only way we impoverished American's know how to take our history or any foreignness even our fantasy worlds, as a knock off English man.
Which is a shame because Belisarius is the crowing achievement of Roman society and could not have occurred without the Orthodox faith despite his treatment at Justinian's hands.
Whatever you do DO NOT get the seven stories press version of this book. There are so many typos and just random words and punctuation it's hard to even know what was meant sometimes.
Maybe if I reread I Claudius my opinion would change on it. I like the author as a writer but in this book he clearly fails to understand the Orthodox religion and is so modern in his perspective it makes it hard to even read this. Although if history given to us is true then I could see why he wouldn't want to understand early Christianity which has absolutely nothing to do with what he knows as Christianity. And the book tastes so British! I guess that's the only way we impoverished American's know how to take our history or any foreignness even our fantasy worlds, as a knock off English man.
Which is a shame because Belisarius is the crowing achievement of Roman society and could not have occurred without the Orthodox faith despite his treatment at Justinian's hands.
June 18, 2025
"If the child is spared until manhood he will make a general of the first rank: for he has the six chief gifts of generalship - patience, courage, invention, the control of his forces, the combination of different arms in attack, and the timing of the decisive blow. I was with the remounts in the Persian wars and came across both good generals and bad; and I know."
So is spoken an early judgement on the character and ability of Belisarius, the Roman's last great general, in what is an excellent piece of historical fiction. My interest in Belisarius was piqued a couple of years back when I read a biography of him, and I have to say that this fictionalised biography is even more enjoyable, and captures a sense of what he was like and the sordid political mire he found himself living and serving in. Belisarius towers above everyone else in Robert Graves' book, both because he is the only really good and principled character in it, and because of his undoubted military genius. If anything, Grave's portrayal reads like a hagiography as Belisarius is almost impossibly virtuous, but even that is a clever piece of writing on his part as the book is presented as written by the servant of Belisarius's wife, Antonina.
Every other character, almost without exception, is quite repulsive and unlikable, and all betray Belisarius in one way or another (Justinian, Theodora, and even his beloved Antonina). This is a tale of a tragic hero, whose very unbending moral goodness is seen as his only weakness in a world that is neither worthy of him nor appreciates him. His eventual, inevitable, final fall and death are suitably heartbreaking and read like something from a Greek tragedy.
I enjoyed this very much, at least as much as Graves' two books on Claudius, and highly recommend it.
So is spoken an early judgement on the character and ability of Belisarius, the Roman's last great general, in what is an excellent piece of historical fiction. My interest in Belisarius was piqued a couple of years back when I read a biography of him, and I have to say that this fictionalised biography is even more enjoyable, and captures a sense of what he was like and the sordid political mire he found himself living and serving in. Belisarius towers above everyone else in Robert Graves' book, both because he is the only really good and principled character in it, and because of his undoubted military genius. If anything, Grave's portrayal reads like a hagiography as Belisarius is almost impossibly virtuous, but even that is a clever piece of writing on his part as the book is presented as written by the servant of Belisarius's wife, Antonina.
Every other character, almost without exception, is quite repulsive and unlikable, and all betray Belisarius in one way or another (Justinian, Theodora, and even his beloved Antonina). This is a tale of a tragic hero, whose very unbending moral goodness is seen as his only weakness in a world that is neither worthy of him nor appreciates him. His eventual, inevitable, final fall and death are suitably heartbreaking and read like something from a Greek tragedy.
I enjoyed this very much, at least as much as Graves' two books on Claudius, and highly recommend it.
November 30, 2023
I am not a classicist by temperament or intellect, though I had heard of Belisarius, Justinian and Theodora and have a fleeting knowledge of Byzantium having worked my way through Edward Gibbon. So I was reading Count Belisarius as I would one of Sir Walter Scott's novels, very literate adventure fiction, and as an example of such it is very, very good and I have to admit considerably easier to read.
For those who don't like spoilers avoid reading Procopius, Agathius Scholasticus and Gibbon - and Wikipedia - for the tale of the hero Belisarius is ultimately a tragedy. Having fought the resurgent Persians to a standstill in the East, won back Carthage and North Africa from the Vandals, for a short time driven the Visigoths and their Frankish allies away from Rome and Ravenna, and defeated a Hunnish army before the walls of Byzantium itself, on his return to the city Belisarius met the jealousy and fear of the Emperor. He paid a hard price for his success and courage.
Robert Graves brings the time and its people to life, expertly directing a cast of thousands and lifting a sword and sandal romp into an epic of loyalty and treachery. It is well worth a recommendation.
For those who don't like spoilers avoid reading Procopius, Agathius Scholasticus and Gibbon - and Wikipedia - for the tale of the hero Belisarius is ultimately a tragedy. Having fought the resurgent Persians to a standstill in the East, won back Carthage and North Africa from the Vandals, for a short time driven the Visigoths and their Frankish allies away from Rome and Ravenna, and defeated a Hunnish army before the walls of Byzantium itself, on his return to the city Belisarius met the jealousy and fear of the Emperor. He paid a hard price for his success and courage.
Robert Graves brings the time and its people to life, expertly directing a cast of thousands and lifting a sword and sandal romp into an epic of loyalty and treachery. It is well worth a recommendation.
April 25, 2020
A brilliant telling of the story of the last roman hero, count Belisarius, the savior of what remained of the Roman Empire in Constantine's time and how he was betrayed by the devious but weak emperor Justinian and his harlot wife Theodora. How he was eventually blinded by the jealous emperor and ended as a pauper in the streets of the city he had saved from the Vandals and other barbarians. Although not as good as I Claudius and Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina, it is as good as Gore Vidal's Julian. It picks up every scandalous tidbit from Procopius's Secret Story and Gibbon's Decline and Fall. Enjoyable.
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