JANUARY 1936

The new year begins with a luncheon with Walter and Violet McCormack, who plan to take a place in Deyá for two months. January continues unseasonably mild, with warm sea mists, but otherwise the weather is dry. It doesn't rain until late in the month (Graves worries about the garden); fires in the evening are seldom needed. Graves writes of a "walk along the road with Laura by (warm) moonlight."
Karl is plagued by dysentery and eczema. Gelat, too, is ill in bed for several days - but is still up for spirited political discussions with Graves. Graves also remarks on the discouraging news of Kipling's death, and of the illness and death of King George.
But the month also brings with it welcome interaction with family and friends. Graves receives letters from David, Catherine and Sam, and Riding's birthday is celebrated quietly with Gelat's family. James Reeves and Mary Phillips announce their plans to marry over the upcoming Easter holiday. Several evenings are spent visiting with the McCormacks, and Graves and Riding also dine with Honor Wyatt's mother,1 who is staying at a hotel nearby. The Junyers show off their art collection - a Brueghel, as well as works by Picasso - and present Graves and Riding with a (reproduction) Holbein engraving of Thomas Wyatt.
Work on the Posada continues favourably, and Graves oversees the planting of lemon and almond trees: the "almond blossom is at its best."
This month Graves drafts "Dialogue between Friends and Friend," and continues to revise "Christmas." He also drafts "Evening in the Saddle" and "Climate of Thought." He and Liddell-Hart keep up regular correspondence, commenting on each other's work on the T. E. Lawrence project, and offering critical suggestions; Graves is pleased with the partnership, appreciative of Liddell-Hart's suggestions and complimentary of his work. Graves also drafts a blurb for T. E. Lawrence by His Friends for Cape's spring list.
Graves goes over the proofs of Old Soldier Sahib, which has met with the publisher's approval. The last of the Focus proofs are corrected and sent off to the printer, as are the last of the Lars Porsena proofs. Reviews of the first issue of Epilogue are in, but not particularly positive - the first one "in New Statesman: not a review, nasty & long." The Times and the Spectator also publish reviews. Graves works on " English Ecclesiastical Habits," finishing "English Ecclesiastical Habits 2" with "great difficulty." He also finishes "Welsh Ecclesiastical Habits." He begins writing a homily on stealing - later called "Theft" - while Riding works on one entitled "Anger." Riding goes over the first part of Antigua, Penny, Puce, and Graves begins research on the Latin and Greek education systems for Schools.
Riding and Graves have acquired a new canary, who "sings well." Graves works in the evening with the bird in his room.

Editorial Notes

Hands Referenced

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

  • McCormacks

    McCormack, Walter & Violet
    Tenants of Ca'n Torrent. Had two daughters: Jennifer, a dancer, & Betty. Continued their friendship with Robert and Laura in England. eds.

  • 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).

  • 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.

  • 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.)

  • Rudyard Kipling

    Kipling, Rudyard
    British poet (1865-1936). eds.

  • King George V

    George V, King
    King George V of England. Reigned 1910-1936. Succeeded by his eldest son Edward VIII who abdicated that same year in order to marry Wallis Simpson. Another son became King George VI. eds.

  • David

    Graves, David
    R.G.'s second child [by Nancy Nicholson]. W.G. In RAF; killed in the war. The only one of Graves' children who might have become a poet had he lived. K.G., eds.

  • Catherine

    Nicholson, Catherine
    Catherine Nicholson: (1922- ) third of four children of Robert Graves and Nancy Nicholson. eds.

  • Sam

    Graves, Samuel
    R.G.'s youngest child by Nancy Nicholson. C.P.& WG

  • James

    Reeves, James
    Schoolmaster, writer and Poet. Friend of Jacob Bronowski. W.G./ K.G.; m. to Mary Phillips; daughter Stella born June 14, 1938 eds.

  • Mary

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

  • Mrs. Wyatt

    Wyatt, Ann
    Honour Wyatt's mother. eds.

  • Junyers

    Junyer, Sebastian and Junyer, Clothilde
    Often referred to in the diary as "The Junyers," artists Sebastian and Clothilde Junyer spent their summers in Llucalcari. W.G., eds.

  • 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
  • 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

  • Jonathan Cape Ltd.

    Jonathan Cape
    London publisher of Lawrence and the Arabs, Good-Bye to All That, No Decency Left, etc. eds.

  • Editors

    Editors of the Graves Diary Project.

Bibliography

    • Title: Dialogue Between Friends and Friend [poem: unpublished?]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Christmas [poem; called "Robert: Christmas"]
    • Title: Focus IV
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Publisher: [private]
    • BiblScope: 18-19
    • Idno: C291.3
    • Date: 1935-11-22
    • Title: Evening in the Saddle [poem: became Enemy in the Saddle, which RG scrapped: see entry for Apr. 3, 1936]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Climate of Thought [poem]
    • Title: Collected Poems [1938]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Cassell
    • Publisher: London
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: T.E. Lawrence by His Friends
    • Author: Graves, Robert [contributor]
    • Editor: Lawrence, A.W.
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Jonathan Cape
    • Idno: B26
    • Date: 1937-05
    • 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
    • Title: Focus I, II, III, IV [newsletter]
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá
    • Publisher: Seizin
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: Lars Porsena or The Future of Swearing and Improper Language [2nd rev. edition]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Kegan Paul
    • Idno: A21c
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Epilogue I: A Critical Summary
    • Editor: Riding. Laura/ Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: B22
    • Date: 1935
    • Title: New Statesman and Nation, The [originally:The Statesman]
    • PubPlace: London
    • Date: 1913-
    • Title: Times [newspaper]
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Times Newspapers
    • Title: Spectator
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: F.C. Westley
    • Date: 1828-
    • Title: English Ecclesiastical Habits [prose]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: English Ecclesiastical Habits 2 [prose]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Welsh Ecclesiastical Habits [prose]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Stealing [a homiletic study: later titled Theft]
    • Title: Epilogue II, 1936
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • Editor: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá and London
    • Publisher: Seizin and Constable
    • Idno: B24
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Anger [a homiletic study]
    • Title: Epilogue II
    • Author: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá and London
    • Publisher: Seizin and Constable
    • Idno: B24
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Antigua Penny Puce
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: A46
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: Schools [an international survey of education]
    • Author: Graves, Robert; Riding, Laura
    • Editor: Riding, Laura