Monday June 24

San Juan1
Spent morning in village trying to arrange that Carmen's brother's Lluchmayor orchestra should have a piano. Gelat foresaw trouble & went grudgingly about the last with the millionaire2. That piano was out of tune & no other. Then lunch at Fábrica, Laura in Julie silk dress (first time) with Julie gold[RG] beads, emerald ring, emerald earrings, self in red linen trousers red silk shirt white silk waistcoat. Food, arroz sucio3, chicken, cigale4 in mayonnaise [sic: mayonaise], beans with ham, muscatel, champagne, cigars. Present: Gelat, Madora [sic: Medora], Juan, Magdalena, Francisquito, Anita, L [Laura] & Karl & I. Anita's two sisters, and their cousin Miguel of Son Bauza. Afterwards to eat the four-tiered cake we had given Gelat (with cherries and sugar Jses5) Bernado and his wife and daughters, and ×××× [crossed out] the Viña Viejas etc. Races, for rabbit & hen: hen won by youth who borrowed my red shoes. Then to Plaza6 to hear boleros7. Scandal there because the Lluchmayor band, good at dance music, could not play boleros; which was insisted on by Committee & the[RG]Mayor. Boleros danced, music by Esporlas8 band,[RG]& jotas9(Strenge's Francisca's novio10 & her sister, Maria de sa Font Fresc, a Lluchmayor girl etc). Back to Fábrica for supper: chicken soup & cold chicken. Back to Plaza for dance music. Hot dusty wind sprang up, so we returned at 10.30.

Editorial Notes

1St. John's, the village's Patron Saint's Day. KG
2a Basque visitor, married to an American. Known as "El Millionario." KG
3dirty rice – a soup. KG
4a kind of lobster. KG
5"Js" are for "Juan" KG
6Village Square. KG
7local dance[music]. KG
8a village located inland, and south of Deyá. eds
9typical dance. KG
10fiance. KG

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Fábrica

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Home of Juan (Gelat) and his wife, the Madora. K.G. The ground floor was a nave extended over the equivalent of two more lots. This originally was a factory with an oil press, a flour mill and a soap making machine all run by a steam engine. Gelat replaced steam by fuel-oil and installed an electricity generator. When he put in the turbine at Ca'n Madó he removed the machinery and built a Café in its place (the Sala Concordia). WG

  • Viña Vieja

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Name of group of houses behind the Fábrica, of which Can Gelat was one. When the Glovers were staying in the house they were called the "Viñas". WG

  • Lluchmayor

    Lluchmayor, Majorca, Sp
    Town on the other side of the island. WG

  • Son Bauza

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    A large farm complex on the opposite side of the valley from Canellun. WG

People Mentioned

  • 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.

  • Laura

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

  • 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.)

  • Julie

    Matthews, Julie
    Tom Matthews' wife. WG

  • Juan

    Mas, Juan Marroig
    Usually refers to Gelat's son, sometimes to Gelat himself. WG

  • Madora

    Marroig Más, Madora
    Gelat's wife. W.G. R.G. often spells her first name "Medora," and precedes it with "the." eds.

  • Strenge

    Strenge, Frau Emmi
    Schwarz's house keeper and ? mistress. WG

  • Carmen

    Carmen
    Murciana (a Murcian immigrant). Married to Antonio. Maid: called on for help around the house, white-washing, etc. Isabel & Josefa's mother. WG

  • Magdalena Marroig

    Marroig Más, Magdalena
    Gelat's daughter. Later married Marcos Colom. WG

  • Franciscito

    Vives, Franciscito
    Gelat's grandson W.G. Son of Anita, Gelat's daughter in Rennes. KG

  • Anita

    Mas, Anita
    Gelat's daughter-in-law, married to Juan Mas. WG

  • Bernardo

    Colom, Bernardo
    Ex Cuban, previous owner of 'Son Canals', and former owner of 'Luna land' (on the other side of the road) cf. Married to a Cuban lady. Sons: Marcos (married to Gelat's daughter Magdalena) and Pancho. KG & WG