Sutherland Library Classics Book Group

There is no commitment required; just turn up ready to share your thoughts. Each month a book from classic literature is selected by the group to be read for the following meeting.

April meeting: I, Claudius / Robert Graves

The Julio-Claudian family possessed all the brutality and dysfunctionality of the Sopranos, but with fewer (or no) constraints on their power to injure outsiders or each other. From this raw material Robert Graves brilliantly recreates a world of power, intrigue and cruelty, a world permeated through and through with the threat of sudden and violent death. In the process he raises striking, sometimes unanswerable questions: was Tiberius really as depraved as Suetonius suggests? Was Livia the true power behind Augustus' throne? And did she really poison all those people? Did Caligula seriously plan to make his horse a consul? Whether or not we can answer these questions, this was certainly a world in which such things could happen.

Find a copy

Download the discussion guide

The Fine Print

It is up to you to source a copy of the selected book.

The library does have some copies for loan, but these are available for all library members to borrow so may be unavailable. You may be able to reserve a copy or find it via one of our digital collections. Alternatively, we may be able to source a copy from another library service via our interlibrary loans service (standard charges apply).