Easter Sunday, April 21

Up early to work for Easter dinner: L [Laura] & I, Carl, Gelat, Madora [sic: Medora]. Anita, Juan, Magdalena, Francisquito1: also Isabel came feeling better & Josefa & Carmen.
×××× [crossed out] salad with artichoke; atun2 & fenel mari3, anchovies, pimientos etc.[RG] Chicken & herb soup; curried chicken-rice with sultanas, mushrooms, peas etc; roast kid (cutlets, kidney and leg) with broad beans from garden & mashed potatoes; a large cake from village & one made by Magdalena; champagne, coffee, cigars. Everything turned out all right and in afternoon Gelat, Medora, Laura, Karl, Anita & I played cards, 7 1/2. G. [Gelat] M. [Madora] & I lost, G. [Gelat] the worst; of K. [Karl] L. [Laura] & A. [Anita], L. [Laura] the best.
Laura changed into her dress made by Margarita from the brown brocaded silk given by Maisie, with lilac ribbon, and the ring (rose amethyst & diamond) we got when last in Palma, and Julie's gold bead necklace.
Gelat told story of how slinging stopped in this village: Madonna of Cas Pintat's brother, when a boy, knocked out eye of Valldemossa man in cart entering village. Story of two robbers from Inca who planned an attack about 30 years ago on a house in San Marsal. The S. Marsal man they took into their confidence warned the village who surrounded them in the flat country just outside the village and despite the robbers having revolvers slung them to death with stones from their pasatges4.
Communists Kurtz & Ferres came to coffee after supper. He told a not quite credible story of his arrival in Spain & crossing border.
Letter from A.B. [Arthur Barker] accepting my offer of terms on film book but preferring £ 50 on signature, £ 50 on delivery. I wrote insisting.

Editorial Notes

1Francisquito spent a lot of time with his grandparents while his parents remained in Rennes; the Juan and Anita mentioned here are his uncle and aunt. WG/eds
2tunny fish. KG
3 fonoi-mari: sea fennel or samphire. WG
4word unknown. "fona" is Mallorcan for sling: is this what RG intended? WG/ eds.

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

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

  • Valldemossa

    Valldemossa, Majorca, Sp
    Village on the way to Palma. WG

  • Inca

    Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
    Town in northwest of Majorca eds.

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.

  • Isabella

    Isabel
    Live-in maid from Murcia. Her mother (Carmen) then came over with Josefa who also came to work later. WG

  • Franciscito

    Vives, Franciscito
    Gelat's grandson W.G. Son of Anita, Gelat's daughter in Rennes. 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.)

  • Anita

    Mas, Anita
    Gelat's daughter-in-law, married to Juan Mas. WG

  • Juan

    Mas, Juan Marroig
    Usually refers to Gelat's son, sometimes to Gelat himself. WG

  • Carmen

    Carmen
    Murciana (a Murcian immigrant). Married to Antonio. Maid: called on for help around the house, white-washing, etc. Isabel & Josefa's mother. WG

  • Margarita Modista

    Margarita Modista
    Modista: Dress maker (in Deyá). W.G., eds.

  • 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.

  • Kurtz

    Kurtz
    German with communist ideals. WG

  • Madora

    Marroig Más, Madora
    Gelat's wife. W.G. R.G. often spells her first name "Medora," and precedes it with "the." eds.

  • Magdalena Marroig

    Marroig Más, Magdalena
    Gelat's daughter. Later married Marcos Colom. WG

  • 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.

  • Julie

    Matthews, Julie
    Tom Matthews' wife. WG

  • Ferres

    Ferres
    Frau, Freulein? With Kurtz. WG

Organizations Mentioned

  • Arthur Barker Ltd.

    Barker, Arthur
    The English publisher of I, Claudius and Claudius the God. WG