Nov 12 Tuesday

Registered passports with the Valldemossa cabo1 at the Alcaldia2. Then to Soller, lunch at the Costa Brava, waited about in café while Gelat saw S [Señor]3 de Sa Pedrissa's brother: S [Señor] de P is withdrawing from the junta. Another arreglo4 had been offered that G [Gelat] should work his turbines how he liked but not canalyze water.
Letter from Honor about having got cottage etc. Gordon "off" for 6 months.
Worked late on Lars Porsena, Laura on a poem. Talk about physical contacts as index of character.
Gelat's story about his ugly black mule that once for a bet he trotted from Palma to Deya (27 kilometres) in 1 hr 20 minutes. 50,000 pes [pesetas] in bets on it: no work at Valldemossa or Deya that day. Mule did not sweat a hair
Worked late on Lars P.

Editorial Notes

1of the Civil Guards. KG
2Town Hall. KG
3the Proprietor. KG
4arrangement, deal. KG

Hands Referenced

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

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

  • Valldemossa

    Valldemossa, Majorca, Sp
    Village on the way to Palma. WG

  • Soller

    Soller, Majorca, Sp
    Town of some 10,000 inhabitants ten kilometers from Deyá. WG

  • Costa Brava, Hotel

    Soller, Majorca, Sp
    a hotel in Soller, near Deyá. KG

  • Pedrissa, Sa

    Majorca, Sp
    Farm on the way to Valldemossa. WG

  • Deyá

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Town located on the northwest coast of Majorca, on the hillside between the Teix Mountains and the sea: this was RG's home with Laura Riding from 1929 to 1936. He returned there with his family after WW II. Eds.

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.)

  • Honor

    Wyatt, Honor
    Journalist. Arrived in Deyá fortuitously. Married to Gordon Glover...Son Julian. W.G. First acquainted with R.G. and L.R. early in 1934; returned to visit in 1935; continued friendship in England. eds (RPG 211).

  • Gordon

    Glover, Gordon
    Married to Honor Wyatt. WG

Bibliography

    • 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