Nov 16 Tuesday

In bed nearly[RG] all morning with a headache.
Alan & Karl did unpacking.
All afternoon Laura & I struggled with Gwendolen Murphy – contributions to her anthology.
In the evening packing up Gayford's things we didn't want.
In evening Alix Harry Laura & I went in the car to Maisie's & Maritza Frishauer's party – L & I wearing evening dress. Among those present were Amabel & Clough Williams Ellis, Ralph Pinker, C. Joad1, Otterway & his pal (the schoolmaster from Hampstead) Mrs. Strachey2, the whole Freeman family, Kitty West, Ward & Dorothy, Honor & Gordon, Alan, S.H.Wood, Hilda Matheson: the biggest joke was one Lady Constance Bonham-Carter who talked art. A dirty feel afterwards.

Editorial Notes

1Professor C.E.M. Joad, philosopher and frequent panellist on BBC's "The Brains Trust" eds.
2(Henrietta Mary) Amy née Simpson (c.1866-1957) eds.

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Hampstead

    England

People Mentioned

  • Laura

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

  • 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).

  • Alan

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

  • 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.

  • Alix Kemp

    Kemp, Alix
    Married to poet Harry Kemp. The couple shared a house with Graves and Riding in Ewhurst, Surrey (1937). eds (RPG 277); also referred to as Frau Eierman by RG eds. see Diary August 30, 1936

  • Harry Kemp

    Kemp, Harry
    Poet. Met Graves and Riding through James Reeves in August 1936, just after their arrival in England. In their previous correspondence, Riding had been intrigued by his falling-out with Communism. He became associated with their circle, collaborating on various projects. (RPG 248-49)

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

  • Wing Commander Gayford

    Gayford, Commander
    (1893-1944), Wing Commander for British Royal Air Force. L.R. and R.G.'s landlord in Alma Square, London (Nov. 1937 - June 1938). eds.

  • Gwendolen Murphy

    Murphy, Gwendolen
    editor of The Modern Poet anthology (1938) eds.

  • Maritza Frischauer

    Fraschauer, Maritza

  • Amabel Strachey [Amy?]

    Strachey, Amabel [Amy?]
    (Mary) Amabel (Nassau Strachey, b. 1893/4) married to Clough Williams-Ellis eds.; Amabel's mother (Henrietta Mary) Amy nቐSimpson (c.1866–1957) is also "Amy" so RG possibly refers to the senior and junior by the same name eds.

  • Clough Williams Ellis

    Williams-Ellis, Clough
    (1883 -1978), architect and landscape designer; married to (Mary) Amabel (Nassau Strachey, b. 1893/4) eds.

  • Pinker

    Pinker
    R.G. & L.R.'s agent in London. W.G. They later changed to A.S. Watt. eds.

  • J.F.

    Freeman, Dr. John
    friend of RG; married to Violet Freeman eds.

  • Kitty West

    West, Katherine
    wife of English journalist, [Douglas West eds.]; lived in Regent Park [at 32 York Terrace eds.] where RG and LR stayed on exile from Mallorca (1936) R.P.G.; dedicatee of LR's A Trojan Ending eds.

  • Ward

    Hutchinson, Ward
    Photographer. Contibuted to"Epilogue." W.G. R.G. often refers to "the Hutchinsons" (Ward & Dorothy) as a couple especially when they were staying on the island. eds.

  • Dorothy

    Hutchinson, Dorothy
    Ward Hutchinson's wife. WG

  • Hilda Matheson

    Matheson, Hilda
    (1888-1940), spokeswoman on BBC radio eds.

Organizations Mentioned

  • British Broadcasting Corporation

    British Broadcasting Corporation