OCTOBER 1936

Riding reads over Graves' new poem "Parent to Children" for the next issue of Epilogue. Notes Graves: "not much change needed." Riding is also going over Alan's and Norman's poems, and the poems of Robin Hale, whom Graves describes as a "big handsome girl."
Correspondence with Liddell-Hart is tense after Riding's quarrel with the writer in September. Graves suggests a separation of their work. He is still in heated discussion with the T. E. Lawrence Trustees.
Antigua, Penny, Puce is published, and the reviews are generally very good. Paramount and 20th Century Fox both express interest in film rights. Korda sends along the I, Claudius film script, which Graves denounces as "absolutely cheap nonsense strung on historical absurdities." Upon finishing his read-through, he "wrote angrily to Korda." At dinner with the filmmaker later in the month Graves gives his opinion in person, and "persuades Korda to recast the scenario entirely." Graves himself feverishly rewrites the script - more than 100 pages in two days - and is pleased when "the typist came & said how much they all (in the scenario typing bureau) liked the stuff." Korda reads it over and pronounces it a "good second stage." Later he tells Graves the scenario won't be finished until sometime in November.
Kyllmann informs Riding and Graves that he will definitely publish A Trojan Ending. Riding begins to compose an address for Oxford, and overtaxes herself doing so. With some reluctance, Graves finds himself working on Schools again.
This month Graves is plagued by illness and the recurrence of a painful boil, which hampers his movement and hinders his social plans. At one point he is in such pain that he "manages to get up as usual and get breakfast ... but is then no good for anything." But he and Riding continue to entertain friends at home, even though Graves clearly lacks energy. By the end of the month, his enforced inactivity leads to weight gain - or at least his perception of weight gain.
The news that Franco has been proclaimed dictator of Spain is disturbing but not unexpected. Knowing that they will be in England for an extended time, Graves and Riding sign a three-month lease on a flat at 10 Dorset Street.
Towards the end of the month, Graves records an amusing anecdote in the diary: At a housewarming party for Norman Cameron, "The chief trouble was Molly1 who was dull: & Tom Matthews who had drunk too much said to Gordon: 'I wish I knew some way of getting Julie Matthews away from that awful Canadian woman.'"

Editorial Notes

1 Gordon Glover's mistress eds.

Hands Referenced

People Mentioned

  • Laura

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

  • Robert

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

  • Alan

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

  • 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.

  • Robin

    Hale, Robin
    American poet eds; friend [and, eventually, wife] of David Reeves KG;

  • 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

  • Korda

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

  • Kyllmann

    Kyllmann, O.K.
    of Constable's RG; also referred to as O.K. 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.

  • Molly

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

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

  • Tom

    Matthews, T.S.(Tom)
    American journalist. Took sabbatical from TIME and arrived in Deyá in 1930. Involved from then on with L.R. and R.G. WG

  • Julie

    Matthews, Julie
    Tom Matthews' wife. 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

  • Paramount Pictures

    Paramount Pictures

  • 20th Century Fox

    20th Century Fox
    Film production company eds.

  • Editors

    Editors of the Graves Diary Project.

Bibliography

    • Title: Parent to Children [poem]
    • Title: Collected Poems
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney
    • Publisher: Cassell
    • Idno: A48
    • Date: 1938
    • Title: Epilogue III
    • Editor: Riding, Laura/ Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1937
    • Title: Antigua Penny Puce
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Idno: A46
    • Date: 1936
    • Title: I, Claudius [novel]
    • Author: Graves, Robert
    • PubPlace: London
    • Publisher: Arthur Barker
    • Idno: A42
    • Date: 1934
    • Title: Trojan Ending, A [novel]
    • Author: Riding, Laura
    • PubPlace: Deyá & London
    • Publisher: Seizin & Constable
    • Date: 1937
    • Title: Schools [an international survey of education]
    • Author: Graves, Robert; Riding, Laura
    • Editor: Riding, Laura