Oct 9, Wednesday.

O.S.S. [Old Soldier Sahib] is now complete up to date in both copies — about 60,000 words.
Wire from Constable about giving Mss [manuscripts] to Beck to print. Laura replied.
Men came to fix the stone tables: Gelat is waiting until Castañer's departure before he gives us the good ones: the ones we have are only cement. Went to village, met Gelat in the Clot gathering apples near Peñaranda's1 house. Best I have tasted in Mallorca. Cleaned my glass pebbles. Planted stock seeds. Men put up two table columnas2.
Sun & showers and a rainbow exactly across the sea. Gelat brought apples.
Turbine lighting very bad. Juan traced it to some electrical burden put on the line by the millonario. When that was removed all was well. Parchesi with Gelat, L, & Magdalena. Ate sardines & sobrasada3 at the old café. Margarita wanted to know if I was still angry. Was.
Later went to ask G. if there was anything on his mind. Laura & I thought there might be about I & J4 talking in the café. There wasn't. Wrote to Hillgarth about the Dia5 and its anti-English English page.
Two blanket weather.[RG]

Editorial Notes

1a doctor friend of Dr Antonio Vives. WG
2columns. KG
3Majorcan sausage. KG
4? KG
5 Palma's daily newspaper. KG

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

    Palma, Majorca, Sp
    Capital and largest centre of Majorca.

  • 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

  • Clot, the

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Refers to the valley where the lower part of the village was located. W.G., eds.

  • Old Café

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Run by Margarita the Butcher, and mainly consisted of a table outside the butcher shop. Most frequented by LR & RG until the Sala (Concordia) was built by Gelat. WG

People Mentioned

  • 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.)

  • Juan

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

  • Margarita

    Margarita (Café proprietor)
    Proprietor of Café. Also Butcher. WG

  • Castañer

    Castañer
    ? Owner of a large house in the Clot. Worked in Palma? WG

  • Antonio

    Vives, Antonio Dr.
    The village doctor (médico). At odds with Gelat. WG

  • Millionario

    Millionario (rich resident of Deyá)
    Rich American living in Ca l'Andresa. W.G.; Basque resident of Deyá (with American wife). K.G.

  • Magdalena Marroig

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

  • Hillgarth

    Hillgarth
    Consul? Ambasador? Foreign Office. W.G.; Palma Consul KG

Organizations Mentioned

  • Constable & Co., Ltd.

    Constable
    Constable Publishers. Arranged with them to print and distribute Seizin Press Epilogue and books. WG

  • Beck

    Beck
    Firm that printed Epilogue and other Seizin Press books distributed by Constable. WG

Bibliography

    • 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: Daily Chronicle/ Dia
    • PubPlace: Palma, Majorca
    • Date: 1935-1936