March 18th Monday

Rose at 6: to village to tell Gelat about barrel for Salamo1. In the morning went for a walk to village with Laura (her hair cut) in the sun & fetched Carl to lunch. Sent off L & A [Laurence and the Arabs] to Sergeant Townsend (A Coy)2 and I,C [I, Claudius] & C.G [Claudius the God] to Nevill Barbour. Wrote to both. Hester Stanhope3 to Lucie. In afternoon planted aloes (?) brought from Fábrica & got Sebastian to make a seed bed.
Josepha & her mother came: Laura met them at camión4. Salamó arrived too. Fixed him up temporarily with a packing-case & straw. McCormacks much impressed by his 'cut'[RG]. Then came[RG] at the gate I met Frau Emmerich. I told her off for the café incident, but afterwards she came in and everything was friendly. She has greatly cooled towards Hitler in two years: told us that Elfriede was dying of T.B. Exhausting German conversation, but Carl helped a lot. Then McCormac's farewell coffee. Splitting headache: never so tired for years. But Salamo kept quiet all night, and we are very pleased with him.
Letter from Harrison Smith agreeing to share correction expenses of I, Claudius5. Disappointing letter fixing maximum price of Fray Junipero Serra book at $150.

Editorial Notes

1RG's new dog. eds
2refers to "A Company" (probably of Second Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers.) WG
3likely Lady Hester Stanhope: A Biography by Joan Haslip. London: Cobden-Sanderson, 1934. eds
4bus. KG
5U.S.edition K.G.

Hands Referenced

    • Annotation: ink correction
    • Character: regular
    • Ink: black

Places Mentioned

  • Fábrica

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Home of Juan (Gelat) and his wife, the Madora. K.G. The ground floor was a nave extended over the equivalent of two more lots. This originally was a factory with an oil press, a flour mill and a soap making machine all run by a steam engine. Gelat replaced steam by fuel-oil and installed an electricity generator. When he put in the turbine at Ca'n Madó he removed the machinery and built a Café in its place (the Sala Concordia). WG

People Mentioned

  • Elfriede

    Cameron, Elfriede
    Norman Cameron's first wife; a German woman: whom he first encountered in Deyá K.G.

  • Laura

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

  • 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.

  • Sgt. Billy Townsend

    Townsend, Billy
    An associate of R.G. from WWI, in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. CP

  • 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.

  • Hitler

    Hitler, Adolf
    (1889-1945)

  • Sebastian

    Sebastian
    Gardener getting on for 80. KG

  • Lucie

    Brown, Lucie
    Married artist John Aldridge. eds.

  • Frau Emmerich; "Jämmerlich"

    Emmerich, Frau
    German painter, from Magdeburg, resident in Deyá. Invariably referred to with the prefix "Frau". K.G./ WG

  • Neville Barbour

    Barbour, Nevill
    Friend of R.G.'s. Editor of the Charterhouse school magazine when he and Graves were students there. (M.S. 35) eds.

  • Josepha

    Josefa
    Maid from mainland. In the text R.G. spells it the English way: Josepha. W.G. She is a daughter of the Murcians Antonio and Carmen; sister of Isabel. eds.

Organizations Mentioned

  • Harrison Smith and Robert Haas

    R.G.'s American publisher for I, Claudius and Claudius the God. eds.

Bibliography

    • Title: Lawrence and the Arabs
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Jonathon Cape
    • Idno: A26
    • Date: 1927
    • Title: I, Claudius [novel]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Arthur Barker
    • Idno: A42
    • Date: 1934
    • Title: Claudius the God
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Arthur Barker
    • Idno: A43
    • Date: 1934