FEBRUARY 1935

The journal opens on 22 February 1935, the day that Robert Graves and Laura Riding buy the Posada. On this day Graves also arranges to pay Nancy Nicholson a sum of money to make up for the past two years he has not paid child support. He also suggests that Jenny should contact him if she would like him to introduce her to Alexander Korda, the film director.
Graves continues his work on Antigua, Penny, Puce; he estimates he is about one-third of the way through. He confides in the diary that he is "uncertain yet whether it is worthwhile finishing it. It was originally started during money shortage as a means of extracting higher royalties..." Graves also drafts several poems: "Remembering War," "To Bring the Dead to Life" and "Advice to Storytellers" (later "The Devil's Advice to Storytellers"). He and Riding correct the proofs of the current issue of Focus, and he and Karl go over the proofs of Riding's "Second Leaf" (Graves and Riding begin printing before the end of the month - the first time they have printed anything since 1933 - and Graves seems generally pleased with the results, offering in the diary detailed advice on the best method for folding pages). Riding herself is rewriting Len Lye's "Movements as Language" (or "Film-Making," to be published in Epilogue I).
Graves spends the next several weeks in the garden with Sebastian, planting mimosa, oleander, tamarisk and other tropicals that he and Riding have purchased in Palma. He surveys the land with Gelat, planning to build new terraces for the almond trees, and deciding how to repair the road to the sea (washed out in a rainstorm in 1933). He decides to buy a bulldog ("partly as a friend for the cats, partly to keep off orange and melon thieves," but clearly mostly for himself, as is evidenced by the comfortable friendship he develops with the canine Salamo - or Solomon - in the coming months). Visits with the McCormacks and with Schwarz and Strenge are also frequent and enjoyable.
The month ends with a concern: German royalties are significant, and Graves and Riding could use the money, but getting the money out of Germany may not be possible.

Hands Referenced

Places Mentioned

  • Posada, La

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    House on the Puig next to Deyá church. Originally part of the Es Molí property. It had been rented by the church for Sunday school. RG and LR bought it in February, 1935, to use as a guest house for their visitors. WG, eds.

  • Palma

    Palma, Majorca, Sp
    Capital and largest centre of Majorca.

People Mentioned

  • Robert

    Graves, Robert
    [1st person]. (1895-1985). Poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and author of his diary. eds.

  • Laura

    Riding, Laura
    (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk).

  • Nancy

    Nicholson, Nancy
    (1899-1977) First wife of Robert Graves; married 1918, separated 1927, divorced 1949. eds.

  • Jenny

    Nicholson, Jenny
    Jenny Nicholson: oldest daughter of Robert by Nancy Nicholson.

  • Korda

    Korda, Alexander
    Director of the film version of I Claudius.

  • Karl/Carl

    Goldschmidt, Karl
    Karl Goldschmidt, later Kenneth Gay: Graphic artist, friend and secretary of Robert Graves and Laura Riding since 1934. R. G. spells both as Carl and Karl.

  • Len

    Lye, Len
    New Zealand painter, sculptor, and filmmaker whom LR & RG had met in London. He helped with the Seizin Press publications. WG; married to Jane Lye, son Bix. eds.

  • Sebastian

    Sebastian
    Gardener getting on for 80. KG

  • Gelat

    Más, Juan Marroig
    Juan Marroig Mas, called Gelat: Landowner on Deyá and friend of Robert Graves and Laura Riding (L.R. & R.G.'s factotum. W.G.)

  • McCormacks

    McCormack, Walter & Violet
    Tenants of Ca'n Torrent. Had two daughters: Jennifer, a dancer, & Betty. Continued their friendship with Robert and Laura in England. eds.

  • Swartz

    Schwarz, Georg
    German Jew. Deyá neighbour. Antique dealer. Lived with Frau Emmy Strenge, his house keeper, in Can Caballo some hundred yards from Canellun. RG and LR translated his "Almost Forgotten Germany." WG

  • Strenge

    Strenge, Frau Emmi
    Schwarz's house keeper and ? mistress. WG
  • Goldschmidt, Karl
    Karl Goldschmidt, d.1995, who later changed his name to Kenneth Gay, was Robert Graves' and Laura Riding's personal secretary during the period when the diary was written. He later annotated another printout of the diary produced from the B.A. Graves transcript, which is at the Graves Trust Archives in St. John's Oxford. Notes by Karl Goldschmidt are denoted as KG.
  • Graves, William
    Son of Robert and Beryl Graves. Helped to identify names, places and titles in Deya (1935-1936) and with translations and other references in three ways. He left an annotated printout of the first six months of the diary in the Graves Trust Room at St. John's College, Oxford. He also sent Chris Petter an Excel file with a list identifying names and places, principally in the Majorcan sections of the diary, and a glossary of Spanish terms. Finally he has sent the editors answers in response to reference questions. Notes by William Graves are identified with the initials WG.

Organizations Mentioned

  • Editors

    Editors of the Graves Diary Project.

Bibliography

    • Title: Antigua Penny Puce
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: A46
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Remembering War [poem]: published as: Recalling War
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: To Bring the Dead to Life
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: Advice to Storytellers [a.k.a. Devil's Advice to Storytellers]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: Focus I, II, III, IV [newsletter]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: Second Leaf [poem]
    • Author: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: Film-Making (Movement as Language; Movement as a Medium)
    • Title: Epilogue I, 1935
    • Author: Lye, Len
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • BiblScope: 231-235
    • Idno: B22
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: Epilogue I: A Critical Summary
    • Editor: Riding. Laura/ Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: B22
    • Date: 1935