July 25 Saturday St Jaime1.

Apparently Mallorca is being left to fall by itself without bombardments, being lef[RG] cut off from the outside world. News of fall of Caspe and Albacete to Gov t [Government]. The F [Fascist]'s cannot hold out long, we think, with Air Force & Fleet against them. The Mallorca & Seville radio give no news at all. Dozens of cars leaving Palma.
Very hot.
Little Antonia did all the work today, very well. Schw & Str. behaving very queerly: cancelled my birthday punch and spent all the time with Leman & C.C.2 [RG]
A plane came over Palma at 12 and caused a panic but dropped no bombs & went on. Yesterday a plane is said to have dropped bombs on Inca,[RG] Manacor, Pollenza etc.
Schools: but slowly. Bathed from the pines of Son Beltran. I and Alan [RG] swam between[RG] through[RG] the cleft where the blue and purple light is. Washed Solomon3 who was full of fleas. At 8.40 heard English wireless and communicated news to G. & Juan. Capture of ×××× [indecipherable] Jerez [RG], bombardment of Algeciras, La Linea, Ceuta. etc. At Canellun read poets in search of poetry.

Editorial Notes

1St. James eds.
2? KG;
3Graves' dog eds.

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

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

  • Canellun

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Laura Riding and Robert Graves' house. Also Canellun (private) road. WG, KG

  • Pollensa

    Pollensa, Majorca, Sp
    Town at the north end of Majorca. WG R.G. sometimes spells it "Pollenza." eds.

  • Seville

    Seville, Andalusia, Spain
    Inland city in southwest of Spain eds.

  • Majorca/ Mallorca

    Majorca, Sp
    Largest of the Balearic Islands, located in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of Spain. R.G. and L.R. lived there, in Deyá, from 1929-1936. eds

  • Inca

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

  • Caspe

    Caspe, Aragon, Spain
    Inland town southeast of Saragossa eds.

  • Albacete

    Albacete, Murcia, Spain
    Inland city, north of Murcia (city) eds.

  • Manacor

    Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
    Inland city in eastern Majorca eds.

  • Son Beltran

    Llucalcari, Majorca, Sp
    Farm-house near Llucalcari. WG

  • Jerez

    Jerez, Andalusia, Spain
    City south of Seville eds.

  • Algeciras

    Algeciras, Andalusia, Spain
    City at extreme south of Spain, near Gibraltar eds.

  • La Linea

    La Linea, Andalusia, Spain
    City in extreme south of Spain, beside Gibraltar eds.

  • Ceuta

    Ceuta, Northern Africa, Spain
    A Spanish city on the northern tip of Africa, beside Morocco eds.

People Mentioned

  • Alan

    Hodge, Alan
    Oxford history graduate. Became close friends with LR & RG. First husband of Beryl Graves. CP & 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.)

  • 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

  • Antonia from Artá

    Antonia
    maid hired April 8, 1936 eds.

  • Juan

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

  • Leman

    Leman
    German painter who lived in Deyá , & eventually died there, aged 102 K.G.

Bibliography

    • Title: Schools [an international survey of education]
    • Author: Graves, Robert; Riding, Laura
    • Editor: Riding, Laura