Friday June 28

No clouds today & some breeze (read that Tuesday was the hottest night ever recorded in England (88 degrees at Brighton)). Drinking no alcohol but lots of water feel very well. Fourth draft of Never Such Love. Letter to E.M. [Eddie Marsh] about Hawthornden cheque, and to Saward about pensions; Rosa brought me natural coloured trousers. Her bill since Jan. is 367 pesetas: little. To Posada: putting down guides for tiles in sitting room, white plastering entrada1, plastering comedor2, plastering kitchen. Ordered marco3 for kitchen window & shelves for despensa [sic: dispensa] 4 (Francisco,5 both)
Paid Estanco 100 pts on a/c.
Arranged with Pepe to work at Posada tomorrow laying stones. To sea: stones. Swam with Carl & Mary to swallow rock & round home non-stop by the headland. Two canoes out, for the first time. Put mss in attic.
Men repairing road, Gordon says.
Laura wrote to Constable giving Seizin list – Progress of Stories; Three People, Three Stories6, James's Poems ; Moon's no Fool. Carl cries off Schw. [Schwarz] translation.7 Posted letter to Constable 1 a.m. (At 10 pm angry visit to Isabel's mother about Josepha's insolence)

Editorial Notes

1hall. KG
2dining room. KG
3frame. KG
4larder. KG
5one of the village carpenters. WG
6later titled A Mistake Somewhere KG

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.

People Mentioned

  • 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.

  • Laura

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

  • Mary

    Phillips, Mary
    Visitor. Typed most of I, Claudius. Later married James Reeves. WG

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

  • 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

  • Pepe

    Salas, José
    Master builder. Built Canellun. Pepe is a diminutive of José. WG

  • Edward Marsh

    Marsh, Edward
    Influential civil servant and friend of R.G.'s and many others from WW I, also Georgian poets and artists. W.G. & C.P.

  • Saward

    Saward
    Consular official in Palma. WG

  • Rosa

    Rosa
    Dress maker. Also made cushions, seat covers, etc. WG

  • Isabella

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

Organizations Mentioned

  • Constable & Co., Ltd.

    Constable
    Constable Publishers. Arranged with them to print and distribute Seizin Press Epilogue and books. WG

  • Hawthornden Prize

    A literary prize awarded to R.G. for "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God." (RPG 224; diary May 12, 1935). Oldest of the famous British literary prizes, founded by Alice Warrender in 1919. eds.

  • Estanco

    Local Tobacconist, a general shop KG

  • Seizin Press

    Founded when Robert Graves and Laura Riding began their partnership in London. R.G. and L.R. continued to operate their own press in Deyá, but stopped printing in 1935. Seizin Press published a number of literary works in conjunction with Constable in London, including the Epilogue series, and other works by Laura Riding and their literary associates. eds

Bibliography

    • Title: Mistake Somewhere, A
    • Author: Anonymous [Gordon Glover/Honor Wyatt/Molly Hare]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1936-02-13
    • Title: Never Such Love [poem]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: Progress of Stories
    • Author: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: James's Poems [A Natural Need (?)]
    • Author: Reeves, James
    • Editor: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: Moon's No Fool, The
    • Author: Matthews, Tom
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1936-02-13
    • Title: Almost Forgotten Germany [Almost Forgotten Times]
    • Author: Schwarz, Georg
    • Editor: Trans. Graves, Robert/ Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: A45
    • Date: 1936