The kingdom he is heir to, in this version of the story, is very much a terrestrial one: the Kingdom of Judea.

When his father runs afoul of the King’s temper and is executed, Jesus is raised in the house of Joseph the Carpenter. In Graves’ unique retelling of his life, Jesus is very much a mortal, and the grandson of King Herod the Great.

He dedicated Ann at Highwood Hall to two of his grandchildren, Georgina and David Graves. Among his books for young readers are Greek Gods and Heroes and The Siege and Fall of Troy. In 1934, Robert Graves was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his historical novels that explain the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Following his recovery, he wrote several works of war poetry as well as a memoir of his time in combat, Goodbye to All That. Robert Graves served in combat during World War I and was gravely wounded at the Battle of the Somme. Graves is best known for his historical novels, which include I, Claudius, Claudius, the God, The Golden Fleece, King Jesus, and Count Belisarius. Graves published more than 140 novels and collections of poetry, groundbreaking analyses of Greek mythology, and a memoir. Robert Graves (1895–1985) was an English novelist, poet, and translator of classical Greek and Roman literature, and one of the most celebrated English writers of the 20th century.

The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves