What do You think about Count Belisarius (1982)?
Robert Graves is amongst my fav authors. His Claudius series has been an introduction to his writing & I have been captivated by his grasp over the subject & his descriptions has never failed me in transporting to that era. Belisarius is the scorge of the Vandals, the Persians and the Goths, but they are not the only enemies he has. Back in Constantinople the emperor, jealous of his succes, is continuously plotting against his loyal subject. If it weren't for the friendship between Belisarius' wife and the empress Theodora, things would have looked much bleaker for the Roman empire because Belisarius is doing just fine in kicking the barbarians back to the frontiers of the old empire. The battles are also very detailed and the action flows swiftly and energetically. Again the historical research that went into this must have been painstaking, but the appreciation to detail is unmatched especially for such a sadly neglected historical period such as this.
—Masen Production
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.
—Matt Brady
Consecuente hasta el final. Sólo con que la mitad de la historia fuese cierta, el conde Belisario debería pasar a la historia como modelo de coherencia. Se trata de una novela histórica, bien escrita por Robert Graves, y que narra la vida de Belisario a través de los ojos del eunuco Eugenio, servidor de Antonina, su mujer. Nacido en los albores del siglo V, Belisario sirvió al "gran" Justiniano (personaje que no sale muy favorecido) y a su mujer Teodora. Fue un general que combatió a los godos en Italia y el norte de Africa, y a los persas en las fronteras orientales del Imperio. Siempre invicto, dedicó su vida al servicio del Emperador. Solo las intrigas y la aparente pusilanimidad de Justiniano, le hicieron caer en desgracia en diferentes ocasiones. Corte llena de intrigas, donde no necesariamente progresaban los mejores (lo mismo que ocurre 16 siglos más tarde), sino los más aduladores, los más duchos en medrar.Como buena novela histórica, se entremezclan en el argumento diferentes historias, entre las que destacan las relaciones a cuatro bandas entre Justiniano, Teodora, Antonina y Belisario, con diferentes personajes menores, todos los cuales se caracterizan por su mezquindad. Interesante descripción de las querellas teológicas imperantes en la época, en virtud de las cuales se engrandecía o empequeñecía el poder político. No existía todavía Mahoma, pero en política se medraba a partir de la ortodoxia de las opiniones religiosas de cada cual, con independencia, obviamente de sus verdaderas creencias (normalmente ninguna). A pesar de las injusticias que se le cometieron, Belisario en ningún momento renunció a sus juramentos (renuncia al mundo, a la carne y al demonio). Fue fiel a su compromiso hasta la muerte. Quizá por ello, incluso la historia haya sido injusta con él, al olvidarlo en favor de otros generales de más lustro, como el rey Arturo o el mismo Julio César. Más allá de su exitosa carrera militar, que ayudó sin duda a Justiniano a expandir considerablemente su Imperio, lo que más me ha impresionado, otra vez, es la valentía del protagonista en la defensa de sus convicciones, aunque le llevaran a la desgracia. Pocas personas en la historia han sido capaces de ello. Seguro que murió más reconfortado que su famoso jefe.
—Peregrino
