Editions

King Jesus

King Jesus

Robert Graves's controversial historical novel is a bold reworking of the story of Christ. Here Jesus is not the son of God, but the result of a secret marriage - the descendant of Herod and true King of the Jews. Written from the perspective of a lowly official at the end of the first century AD, King Jesus recounts Jesus's birth, youth, life as a charismatic 'wonder worker' and the unorthodox, bitter nature of his death and resurrection. Portraying Jesus not as divine but as a flawed human bent upon his own doom, this retelling of the gospels is a compelling blend of research, imagination and narrative power.

Reviews

  • The knowledge of a scholar and the imagination of a poet are brought to bear upon Jesus as a child, boy and man

    Guardian

  • Written with simplicity and reverence

    Time

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About the Author

Robert Graves

Robert Graves was born in 1895 in Wimbledon. He went from school to the First World War, where he became a captain in the Royal Welch Fusiliers and was seriously wounded at the Battle of the Somme. He wrote his autobiography, Goodbye to All That, in 1929, and it was soon established as a modern classic. He died on 7 December 1985 in Majorca, his home since 1929.

Robert Graves

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Extracts

5 moving poems from the men on the frontline of the Somme

The camaraderie forged between soldiers during the horrors of World War I inspired some of the greatest verse in English Literature. Here to mark Remembrance Day are some of our favourites.
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Podcasts

Writing the First World War feat. Jeremy Paxman, Robert Graves and Pat Barker

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