Friday Nov 20

To dentist: his electric drill had broken down. Appointment Tuesday is[RG] Appointment & Laura's (to her great relief) put off. Bought pewter cigarette case 7/6. Mother came. To Ministry of Health to get my cottage uncondemned. "Can do nothing. No one can do anything. The Law must take its course." Mother presenting her woodland to the National Trust, brought deeds. Am trying to present my cottage with it. Macleod Matheson appears to be the boss.
Mother to lunch: surprisingly well.
Laura to last day of Cretan exhibition. Bought me braces.
Laura still doing the map-index.
Draft letter from L.H. almost[RG] breaking off relations with Trustees1; & authority form for me to sign for him to recover typescript first. Wrote to him approving: but will definitely break.
Korda rang up: scenario nearly done but Biro unwell. Wants L & me to write material for a refugee film. Letter from Short, asking for money for [sic: from] Gelat.

Editorial Notes

1 T.E. Lawrence Trustees eds.

Hands Referenced

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

People Mentioned

  • Laura

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

  • 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.

  • T.E.

    Lawrence, T. E.
    'Lawrence of Arabia.' Met Robert in Oxford in the early twenties. Made Robert his biographer and had him write "Lawrence and the Arabs." WG
  • Turner, Henry Watson
    Graves' dentist whose office was at 59, Wimpole Street; RG names him interchangeably: Turner-Watson, W. Turner, and Dentist eds.

  • A.G. (A.E.S.G)

    Graves, Amy
    Amy Graves, RG's Mother. WG
  • Macleod Matheson, Donald
    Secretary to the National Trust from 1934 to 1945, involved with AG and RG's cottage being condemned eds. see Diary November 20, 1936

  • Biro

    Biró, Lajos
    (1883-1948) a journalist and political secretary in Budapest, Biró wrote screenplays for Alexander Korda, including the ill-fated Claudius script eds.

  • Short

    Short
    Shipping agent and operator of a lending library in Palma. K.G.

  • 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.)

Bibliography

    • Title: Refugee Scenario [working title of a screenplay for Korda]
    • Author: Graves Robert/ Riding, Laura
    • Date: 1936-11