Good Friday Ap 19

Gelat came, and Jaime to kill the kid; which they did with loving jokes from Jaime. Then Gelat told of his Carnarvon divorce experiences1: with what he hadn't told before. He told the interpreter that they had been promised everything. Where were the women? He found 4 that evening. Didn't go to bed until 6 a.m.
Ordered cake from baker, and arranged for Carl to change "Cares & pastries" to "Cakes & pastries" on his signboard. "Lastima que no fuese Jordi" a proverb.(Jordi, an ass.)2 Fetched lilac[RG] ribbon from Fábrica for L [Laura]'s Easter dress.
Miguel, Fr [Francisco]'s son3, fixed gate on Viejo camino .
Esperanza has made 2nd Focus different format from first.
Yellow daisies out.
Focus sent to:
Maisie Len & Jane
Isabel Honor
James Gordon
John & Lucie Harold
John Cullen Tom & Julie
Strenge, Schwarz, Emmerich to tea: bonito, sardine & anchovy paste sandwiches. Umbrella in garden.
Gelat excited. He found he could use a divining rod: more than that, found Molí spring 70 metres higher up than the fuente4. Inginiero5 says very strong & not very deep. "The most important day in the history of Deyá: water will reach Puig. Deyá is now able to be richer than Bañalbufar." But water starts on Antonio the Guitarrist's land: ×××× [crossed out] will have to buy that back for 5000 pesetas.

Editorial Notes

1 Lady Carnarvon and her lover had stayed in a Deyá pension. Ten men from the village, including Gelat, went to London to be called as witnesses in Lord Cararvon's divorce case. KG
2Don Jordi was the priest(Cura)who resisted RG and LR's occupation of the Posada after it was purchased by RG. eds
3one of four village carpenters WG
4spring. KG
5engineer. KG

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

  • Deyá

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Town located on the northwest coast of Majorca, on the hillside between the Teix Mountains and the sea: this was RG's home with Laura Riding from 1929 to 1936. He returned there with his family after WW II. Eds.

  • 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.

  • Camino viejo

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    The old road - the original mule-track to Soller. Bordered the back of the Canellun property. WG

  • Molí, Es

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Large estate which Gelat divided up and sold for the owner. The farm-house was bought by Juan Mayol. RG & LR bought the Posada, Es Piñets and part of Ca'n Madó. WG

  • Puig

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Hill in the middle of Deyá. WG Highest point of village KG

  • Bañalbufar

    Bañalbufar, Majorca, Sp
    Another village on the north west coast of the island. WG; famous for its tomatoes. KG

People Mentioned

  • 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.

  • 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

  • Esperanza

    Esperanza
    Sabater? ran a printing press in Palma and printed Focus.

  • 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.)

  • Cura

    Jordi, Don
    Don Jordi, the Priest. WG

  • James

    Reeves, James
    Schoolmaster, writer and Poet. Friend of Jacob Bronowski. W.G./ K.G.; m. to Mary Phillips; daughter Stella born June 14, 1938 eds.

  • Tom

    Matthews, T.S.(Tom)
    American journalist. Took sabbatical from TIME and arrived in Deyá in 1930. Involved from then on with L.R. and R.G. WG

  • Miguel

    Miguel
    One of four village carpenters. Others were Miguel Junior, Francisco and Antonio de Ca's Pintat. WG

  • Jaime

    Jaime
    Butcher, married to Margarita of the Café. WG

  • Francisco of Ca l'Abat

    Francisco
    His son, Antonio de C'as Pintat, was one of the village carpenters. WG

  • Maisie

    Sommerville, Maisie
    Head of BBC Education broadcasting department. Friend of R.G. and L.R. Arranged accomodation for them when they returned to London as exiles. W.G., eds.

  • 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.

  • Jane

    Lye, Jane
    Married to New Zealand artist/ film-maker Len Lye; son Bix Lye. Friends with R.G. and L.R. Visited Graves and Riding in Majorca (1930), where Jane provided secretarial assistance. eds (RPG 138).

  • Isabel

    Mayers, Isabel
    Laura Riding's sister. Lived in L.A. WG

  • Honor

    Wyatt, Honor
    Journalist. Arrived in Deyá fortuitously. Married to Gordon Glover...Son Julian. W.G. First acquainted with R.G. and L.R. early in 1934; returned to visit in 1935; continued friendship in England. eds (RPG 211).

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

  • Aldridge

    Aldridge, John
    (1905-1983), painter and close friend and collaborator. WG m. to Lucie Brown 1940 eds.

  • Lucie

    Brown, Lucie
    Married artist John Aldridge. eds.

  • Harold Edwards

    Edwards, Harold
    Antiquarian bookseller & British Buddhist; bookshop at 4, Cecil Court off Charing X Rd. K.G.; wife Olive née Wallis and baby girl Sally. Karl Goldschmidt's employer in 1938. eds.

  • John Cullen

    Cullen, John
    Friend of Eirlys Roberts. K.G.

  • Frau Emmerich; "Jämmerlich"

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

Bibliography

    • Title: Focus I, II, III, IV [newsletter]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1935