COUNT BELISARIUS

no I have never read that novel, but have always meant to. in fact very few people know of it and it would be quite hard to find a copy. but I know the epoch, 6th century AD, early Byzantium, the conflict between the Byzantines, Arabs and the remnants of the Roman Empire.
I talked to a South African girl last night about books but it was the usual dismal stuff. she knew only the most topical works like Alexander McCall Smith's 'No. 1 Lady Detective's Agency'. He's presently big cheese but for how long?
The thing about Graves' historical novels is that they are presently read far more than the serious poetry that he wrote. Ironically he wrote the novels in order to have the time to work on his poetry. Reading 'I Claudius' I get the sense of someone having cribbed the historians of the era: I don't get a real sense of Graves as novelist peering beyond the history. But its definitely interesting nevertheless but not as interesting as Flaubert 'Sentimenal Education' or James Joyce 'Ulysses' as a historical reconstruction principally because the author has little connection with his material. It just sounds like a smart public school boy who has read a lot and decided to make his fortune by rendering the classics to the masses. I mean, fair enough, but not exactly challenging stuff. Graves never came over to me as a poet either, too sane, always looking for the obtuse image. I have incredible amounts of obtuse images, but I hardly have to look for them.

I've always liked Graves' historical novels. Did you read Count Belisarius?
England does sound curious now. MY travelling days are over unfortunately. I'm not much of a popular culture enthusiast, and I barely knew who the Supremes were.

Christopher