Count Belisarius

Revision as of 17:33, 12 April 2025 by imported>Burrobert (British English, script-assisted date audit and style fixes per MOS:NUM)
(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Template:Use British English Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox book

Count Belisarius is a historical novel by Robert Graves, first published in 1938, recounting the life of the Roman general Belisarius (AD 500–565).

Just as Graves's Claudius novels (I, Claudius and Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina) were based on The Twelve Caesars of Suetonius and other Roman sources, Count Belisarius is largely based on Procopius's History of Justinian's Wars and Secret History. However, Graves's treatment of his sources has been criticised by the historian Anthony Kaldellis, who writes that "There are many historical novels set in the early sixth century, but none can be recommended that are both historically accurate and well-written. R. Graves's Count Belisarius... is at least well-written."<ref>Kaldellis's translation of Procopius, The Secret History, with Related Texts, 2010, Template:ISBN, p. lxxix.</ref>

Count Belisarius purports to be a biography written by Eugenius, a eunuch who is a servant of Belisarius' wife Antonina. The novel covers the entire life of Belisarius, with the bulk of the text being devoted to accounts of his life while on campaign in North Africa and Italy. Antonina was often with him during these years, and Graves uses stories about her connections to the court of the Emperor Justinian and his Empress Theodora to incorporate political intrigue and other information into the story of Belisarius' military exploits.

NotesEdit

Template:Reflist

Further readingEdit

  • Graves, Robert; Count Belisarius, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, (1982 paperback) Template:ISBN

Template:Robert Graves