Instant Classics Classic Chats: Robert Harris on ‘Agrippa’
Aug 27, 2026
Robert Harris, bestselling novelist known for historical thrillers like Pompeii and the Cicero Trilogy, discusses his new novel Agrippa. He explains finding Agrippa in research and why he wrote it in first person. They explore the fraught forty-year bond between Agrippa and Augustus, Roman political brutality, and how Harris reimagines famous historical figures.
54:27
How Agrippa First Caught Robert Harris's Eye
- Robert Harris discovered Agrippa while researching Pompeii because Agrippa built Rome's massive aqueduct with demobilised legionaries.
- That curiosity about a great builder who left little personal record stayed with Harris through his Cicero trilogy and beyond.
Why Agrippa Speaks In His Own Voice
- Harris chooses first person to give voice to a historically voiceless Agrippa and to invent character from the first line.
- First person lets him 'invent' a persona where no speeches or letters survive in the sources.
Agrippa And Octavius As A Political Marriage
- The novel frames Agrippa and Octavius as a 40-year political 'marriage' with mutual dependence and simmering resentment.
- Agrippa is the muscle and battle commander while Octavius supplies the political brain and the name.
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Intro
00:00 • 5min
Why Harris returned to ancient Rome
04:45 • 3min
Choosing Agrippa as a first-person narrator
07:30 • 2min
Loyalty, resentment and the Agrippa–Augustus bond
09:41 • 5min
Brutality of Roman politics compared to today
14:38 • 7min
Research approach and inventing Agrippa
21:38 • 10min
Ad break
31:10 • 2min
Reimagining famous historical characters
32:53 • 8min
The Augustan portrait and the handsome stand-in
40:39 • 6min
Maecenas: patron, fixer, and political operator
46:21 • 3min
Power, politics and why these stories matter
49:02 • 4min
Outro
53:17 • 54sec
#103532
The Ghost Writer
A Novel
Robert Harris
The novel follows a professional ghostwriter who is brought in to complete the memoirs of Adam Lang, a former British prime minister, after the previous writer dies under suspicious circumstances.
As he uncovers secrets buried in Lang’s past, the story turns into a tense political thriller with stakes that could affect world politics.
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Imperium
A Cicero Trilogy, Book 1
Robert Harris
*Imperium* is a fictional biography of Marcus Tullius Cicero, narrated by his household secretary and former slave Tiro.
The novel follows Cicero’s rise from ambitious young lawyer to one of Rome’s most powerful political figures, centered on the prosecution of the corrupt governor Verres and the ruthless struggle for the consulship.
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Lustrum
A Novel
Robert Harris
Lustrum is the second novel in Robert Harris’s Cicero Trilogy and follows the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero during the turbulent years after his election as consul in 63 BC. Told through the voice of Cicero’s secretary Tiro, the novel depicts power struggles, betrayal, and political intrigue in the collapsing Roman Republic.
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Dictator
Robert Harris
Dictator is a historical novel by Robert Harris and the concluding volume of his Cicero Trilogy.
Told through the perspective of Cicero’s secretary Tiro, it follows the final years of Cicero’s life amid the political turmoil of late Republican Rome, including civil war, the rise of Caesar, and the fall of the Republic.
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Conclave
Robert Harris
Conclave immerses readers in the secretive world of the Vatican during the election of a new pope, dramatizing factional rivalries, personal ambition, and institutional pressures.
Robert Harris uses insider detail and moral complexity to explore how power operates in religious institutions.
The novel combines procedural narrative—detailing the mechanics of the conclave—with character-driven tension among cardinals and advisers.
By focusing on the compact and intense timeframe of an election, Harris heightens suspense while reflecting on tradition, reform, and institutional survival.
Conclave exemplifies the author’s interest in political theatre and its human consequences.
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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John Le Carré
In this novel, George Smiley is summoned from retirement to investigate a mole within the British intelligence service, known as the Circus.
The story unfolds as a cat-and-mouse game, with Smiley delving into the pasts of his suspects, each codenamed from a children’s nursery rhyme: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, and Sailor.
The investigation is complex, involving office politics, personal betrayals, and the moral ambiguities of the espionage world.
Le Carré masterfully crafts a realistic and gripping narrative that critiques the espionage industry and its impact on individuals and society.
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• Mentioned in 23 episodes
I, Claudius
Robert Graves
Written in 1934, 'I, Claudius' is a historical novel by Robert Graves that follows the life of Roman Emperor Claudius.
The narrative is presented as Claudius' autobiography, detailing the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BC to Caligula's assassination in AD 41.
The book includes the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula, and is known for its historical accuracy and fictionalized accounts drawn from Roman historians like Suetonius and Tacitus.
Claudius, portrayed as a historian and scholar, documents the intrigues, betrayals, and violence within the imperial family, while also reflecting on his own survival and eventual rise to the throne.
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Enigma
Robert Harris
Enigma by Robert Harris is a gripping historical thriller that delves into the world of codebreaking during World War II. The story follows Tom Jericho, a brilliant mathematician at Bletchley Park, as he navigates the intense pressure of cracking the Enigma code while dealing with personal mysteries and potential betrayal within his team.
The novel combines historical accuracy with a compelling narrative of espionage and personal intrigue.
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• Mentioned in 822 episodes
The Odyssey
Homer
The Odyssey, attributed to Homer, is an ancient Greek epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. The poem explores Odysseus's encounters with various mythical creatures, divine interventions, and natural challenges.
Upon his return to Ithaca, he must confront the suitors who have been vying for his wife Penelope's hand in marriage.
With the help of his son Telemachus and the goddess Athena, Odysseus devises a plan to defeat the suitors and reclaim his throne.
The poem is a reflection on human nature, loyalty, and the consequences of one's actions, and it remains a crucial component of ancient Greek literature and Western cultural heritage.
#6503
• Mentioned in 10 episodes
Pompeii
Robert Harris
Pompeii by Robert Harris is a gripping historical novel set in ancient Rome, focusing on the story of Marcus Attilius Primus, an engineer tasked with fixing the Aqua Augusta aqueduct.
As Attilius works to resolve the water crisis, he uncovers corruption and faces the looming threat of Mount Vesuvius's eruption.
The novel masterfully blends historical fact with fiction, capturing the final days of Pompeii and the tragic events that unfolded.
#11179
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
Georgics
Virgil
Virgil's Georgics is a four-book poem that explores the agricultural practices of ancient Rome.
It delves into the cultivation of crops, the care of trees and animals, and the mysteries of beekeeping.
Beyond its practical aspects, the Georgics offers a philosophical reflection on humanity's relationship with nature, the cyclical nature of time, and the impact of political turmoil on rural life.
The poem's use of epic hexameter elevates the subject matter, blending practical advice with profound meditations on morality, mortality, and the human condition.
Its enduring influence on literature and environmental thought is undeniable.
#7903
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
Agrippa
Robert Harris
Robert Harris's Agrippa is a historical novel that centers on the life and influence of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the late Roman Republic and early Empire.
The book reconstructs political maneuvering, personal relationships, and military events through a tightly plotted narrative grounded in historical research.
Harris uses a mix of imagined dialogue and documented events to illuminate the power struggles surrounding figures such as Augustus and Agrippa.
Themes include loyalty, ambition, and the making of imperial authority, presented with Harris's trademark clarity and suspense.
The novel aims to make ancient political life accessible and compelling for modern readers while remaining attentive to historical plausibility.
Mary and Charlotte talk to best-selling author Robert Harris about his new novel ‘Agrippa’. Robert Harris has published 16 novels, of which nine have been made into films, including The Ghost Writer, Enigma and the Oscar-winning papal thriller Conclave. Five of Robert’s novels are set in Ancient Rome: the Cicero Trilogy, Pompeii and Agrippa.
Robert discovered Agrippa while researching the Cicero Trilogy and became increasingly interested in this decisive, but largely forgotten figure, whose legacy is everywhere in Ancient Rome. He describes what interested him in the story: the friendship between the aristocratic Augustus and his plebeian sidekick, and the tension that inevitably developed between the two. He compares Augustus and Agrippa to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, only with higher stakes.
Further reading:
We covered the history of this period in the last episode, with further reading in the shownotes.
If you haven’t read Robert’s other Roman novels, they are all available in paperback:
Pompeii (Arrow pb, 2009) (A younger Mary Beard “fact-checked for the hard-back version of this – though didn’t find many mistakes!)
The Cicero Trilogy, Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator (Arrow pb, 2009, 2010, 2016)
Aprippa is published in hardback by Hutchinson Heinemann, 27 August, 2026
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