I, Claudius — Robert Graves

Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus lived from 10 B.C. to 54 A.D. Despised as a weakling and considered an idiot because of his physical infirmities, Claudius survived the intrigues and poisonings of the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and the mad Caligula to become emperor in 41 A.D. I, Claudius is written in the form of Claudius' autobiography and is one of the classics of modern fiction, the best fictional reconstruction of Rome ever written.