July 20, Saturday. S ta Margarita1

Up at 6, to catch camión2 with letters and an order for MISTOL for Laura's throat. (Wrote to Verschayle3 declining to collaborate in a book about the novel; etc) Rosa came: fitted my pewter button waistcoat.
To Estanco for cigarettes: to Posada to see what was missing for tea coffee[RG] this afternoon. Sent up Catalina Martina to Posada to sew cushions for Honor's chimney corner bench in Posada entrada4 [RG]; Miguel Senior to screw kitchen shelf properly; left word for masons to fix the garden gate now waiting there and to put in estacas5 missing in the kitchen. Found quotation from Book of Dead & from Meterology6 for Poets which Laura is going over for Mary to type. Richards7. Wrote out more[RG] questions for him.
Barrera [sic: Barera] 8 fixed, estacas9 put in, kitchen shelf screwed. Catalina made cushions. Coffee at Posada.
My morey10 workroom chair came. Josepha [RG] made blackberry ice. Schw. paid for champagne at Margarita's (who had black eye presumably from Jaime.) Page proofs of James's poems & nice letter from him about Jacob & Focus.
Procurador11 privately warned Gelat of final effort of médico: injunction behalf of the Torpe12: witnesses, young Estanco, médico & Juan Molí13. Dance steps on deposito14. Ice to Joan & Honor & light for bathroom there. Gelat will get an order for all water-holders to show their claims & in answer to the 5 witnesses against him will bring 25. Meanwhile will pretend to damage turbine to gain time.

Editorial Notes

1St. Margaret's Day. KG
2bus. KG
3Verschoyle. KG
4entrance hall. WG
5pegs. KG
6 Meteorology? eds.
8Gate. KG
9shelves. KG
10mulberry. KG
11member of the Spanish parliament. WG
12i.e. stupid. KG
14reservoir, water tank. KG

Hands Referenced

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

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

  • Laura

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

  • 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

  • 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.)

  • Médico

    Vives, Antonio Dr.
    The village doctor (Deyá). At odds with Gelat (water rights controversy). His brother, Juan Vives, was Gelat's son-in-law. 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).

  • Miguel

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

  • Mary

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

  • Joan

    Joan
    Surname? Julian Glover's nurse-maid. She stayed behind at the Viña Vieja when they moved up to the Posada. Was sent left-over cakes and ice-cream. WG

  • Catalina

    Catalina
    Domestic help. Called in for white-washing, etc. 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.

  • Richards

    Richards, Frank
    Author of Old Soldiers Never Die and Old Soldier Sahib which R.G. rewrote for him. Was in The Royal Welch Fusiliers, R.G.'s regiment. eds.; Birth name is Francis Phillip Woodruff eds. see Diary September 27, 1936

  • Verschoyle

    Verschoyle, Sir Derek
    A well-known London publisher into the 1950s. Asked R.G. to collaborate on a book about the novel (see diary July 20, 1935) W.G. (The novel: I Claudius?) eds.

  • Rosa

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

  • Margarita

    Margarita (Café proprietor)
    Proprietor of Café. Also Butcher. WG

  • Jaime

    Jaime
    Butcher, married to Margarita of the Café. WG

  • Jacob Bronowski (Bruno)

    Bronowski, Jacob
    (1908-1974) Scientist and one time member of Laura Riding circle. WG

  • Young Estanco

    Young Estanco
    Presumably a scion of the Estanco family, who ran a tobacconist and general store.

  • Juan of Molí

    Mayol, Juan
    Owner of the Es Molí farmhouse. Involved in a local water rights controversy with the Señor of Sa Pedrissa, the Médico and others. R.G. records the on-going confict in his diary over a span of several months in 1935. KG & eds.

Organizations Mentioned

  • Estanco

    Local Tobacconist, a general shop KG

Bibliography

    • Title: Focus I, II, III, IV [newsletter]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: James's Poems [A Natural Need (?)]
    • Author: Reeves, James
    • Editor: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: Poets [prose]
    • Author: Graves, Robert/ Riding Laura
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • Title: Old Soldier Sahib
    • Author: Richards, Frank
    • Editor: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London, New York
    • Publisher: Faber & Faber; Harrison Smith & Robert Haas
    • Idno: A44
    • Date: 1936