NOVEMBER 1936

Graves produces more poetry this month than he has for a while, drafting "The Jealous Man," "Before Bedlam" (later "The Halls of Bedlam") and a poem eventually titled "The Country Mansion." Later in the month he writes "The Marble Table" and "The Park Railings," and continues to rework "The Devil's Advice to Storytellers."
Riding works with Norman on Rimbaud translations, and on Honor's Heathen, eventually sending the manuscript back to Honor with her editorial comments. She also reads to Graves her draft of the afterword for A Trojan Ending. A cartographer is hired to make maps for the book.
Korda asks Graves and Riding to write a film scenario about Spanish refugees. Liddell-Hart sends - presumably for comment - a draft of a letter "almost breaking off relations with the Trustees."
November sees London's first really cold weather. Graves' boil is still causing him pain, although it is steadily improving. The move to 10 Dorset Street happens on 11 November, complete with a mid-morning two minutes of silence to commemorate the First World War (as the furniture is being loaded into the moving truck).
The current political upheaval weighs on both Graves and Riding. Madrid is under siege, and the only way to get letters to Majorca is via Italy. The Times and the Telegraph indicate "swing over of popular opinion on Spain ... Franco appears in great difficulties." Hitler and Mussolini formally recognise Franco. Graves discusses with Winston Churchill what the official British response should be. Riding's sardonic comment captures the mood: "I haven't done much work lately, but then I've been fighting so hard in Spain."
Graves notes that "Gordon has once more broken with Molly 'finally.'" His scepticism is palpable. Sally (Graves) and Richard Chilver come to tea, and Graves meets Sally's fiancé for the first time. Rebecca West visits as well.
Though she is still dancing at the Dorchester, Jenny becomes ill and complains of fatigue. Graves meets two of her male friends - Pat Moran and Tony Wheeler - and is not impressed. He describes Tony Wheeler as "hardboiled," and Wheeler warns Graves that if a young, single girl like Jenny lives in a flat on her own as she does, she'll "only get a chap like Pat." Graves is clearly concerned about Jenny's social relationships, but Jenny refuses to speak with him about her personal life.
Enclosures (NOTE: check online list for bugs):

Hands Referenced

Places Mentioned

  • 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

  • Dorchester Hotel

    London, England
    Hotel where Jenny Graves performed eds.

People Mentioned

  • Robert

    Graves, Robert
    [1st person]. (1895-1985). Poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and author of his diary. eds.

  • Laura

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

  • Norman Cameron

    Cameron, Norman
    Poet. Built Can Torrent in 1932-1933. W.G.; m. to Elfriede, then to Catherine Vandervelde; friend and contributor to LR and RG's work eds.

  • Rimbaud

    Rimbaud, Arthur
    French poet (1854-1891) whose work Norman Cameron translated with LR eds.

  • 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).

  • Korda

    Korda, Alexander
    Director of the film version of I Claudius.

  • Liddell Hart

    Liddell Hart, Capt. Basil
    War-fare expert and friend of T.E. Lawrence. Collaborated with RG on a book of T.E.L'.s letters, published in 1938. See RPG p.231. WG & Eds.

  • Franco

    Franco, General
    Spanish General; led the Nationalist forces against the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War; Spanish Head of State from 1939-1969.

  • Hitler

    Hitler, Adolf
    (1889-1945)

  • Mussolini

    Mussolini, Benito
    (1883-1945) Fascist dictator ( "IL DUCE") of Italy from 1922-1943. eds.

  • Churchill

    Churchill, Winston (Sir)
    On the island [of Majorca] December 1935. W.G. In 1936 R.G. had an interview with him in London , and expressed his concerns about the Spanish Civil War. (Diary: November 1936) eds.

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

  • Molly

    Hare, Molly
    Canadian. Third person in Gordon Glover-Honor Wyatt triangle; co-author of "A Mistake Somewhere". WG

  • Sally

    Graves, Sally
    R.G.'s niece. Daughter of his half-brother Philip. KG

  • Richard

    Chilver, Richard
    husband of Sally Graves RG

  • Rebecca West

    West, Rebecca
    (1892-1983) Met RG and LR in London, October 1936. RPG 257.; son with H.G. Wells, Anthony "Panther" West; later married to banker Henry Maxwell Andrews KG;

  • Jenny

    Nicholson, Jenny
    Jenny Nicholson: oldest daughter of Robert by Nancy Nicholson.

  • Pat Moran

    Moran, Pat
    lover of Jenny Graves RPG (261)

  • Tony Wheeler

    Wheeler, Tony
    friend of Pat Moran and Jenny Graves RPG (261)

  • Helen Fletcher

    Fletcher, Helen
    Journalist (?) Wrote a review of R.G.'s Antiqua Penny Puce in 1936 which R.G. deplored. Diary enclosure November 14, 1936.

  • Djuna Barnes

    Barnes, Djuna
    novelist (1892-1982) eds.
  • Graves, Robert
    Author of the diary.
  • Goldschmidt, Karl
    Karl Goldschmidt, d.1995, who later changed his name to Kenneth Gay, was Robert Graves' and Laura Riding's personal secretary during the period when the diary was written. He later annotated another printout of the diary produced from the B.A. Graves transcript, which is at the Graves Trust Archives in St. John's Oxford. Notes by Karl Goldschmidt are denoted as KG.
  • Graves, William
    Son of Robert and Beryl Graves. Helped to identify names, places and titles in Deya (1935-1936) and with translations and other references in three ways. He left an annotated printout of the first six months of the diary in the Graves Trust Room at St. John's College, Oxford. He also sent Chris Petter an Excel file with a list identifying names and places, principally in the Majorcan sections of the diary, and a glossary of Spanish terms. Finally he has sent the editors answers in response to reference questions. Notes by William Graves are identified with the initials WG.

Organizations Mentioned

  • 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

  • Editors

    Editors of the Graves Diary Project.

Bibliography

    • Title: A Jealous Man [poem]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney
    • Publisher: Cassell & Co. Ltd.
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1936-11-01
    • Title: Halls of Bedlam [poem; was Before Bedlam]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney
    • Publisher: Cassells
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1936-11-08
    • Title: The Manor House [ poem; first called An Old House; pub'd as The Country Mansion]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney
    • Publisher: Cassells
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1936-11
    • Title: At the Marble Table [poem; was The Marble Table]
    • Title: Epilogue III
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • BiblScope: [138-172]
    • Idno: A33
    • Date: 1936-11-22
    • Title: The Park Railings [poem; later "Big Head." Not traced. Apparently not published. DW]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Date: 1936-11-30
    • Title: Advice to Storytellers [a.k.a. Devil's Advice to Storytellers]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: The Heathen
    • Author: Wyatt, Honor
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: New York
    • Publisher: Random House
    • Date: 1937
    • Title: Trojan Ending, A [novel]
    • Author: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1937
    • Title: Times [newspaper]
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Times Newspapers
    • Title: Daily Telegraph
    • PubPlace: London
    • Date: 1856-1936
    • Title: [Letter about Seizin Press]
    • Title: John O'London's Weekly
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • BiblScope: 262
    • Idno: C292.1
    • Date: 1936-11-06
    • Title: Antigua Penny Puce
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: A46
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Time & Tide [political magazine (1920-1977) founded by Lady Margaret Rhondda. eds.]
    • PubPlace: London