Ap 17th Friday.

Dreadfully cold wind.
Laura gave me her old Parker Duophone1 with which I write this. The nib has been damaged slightly but it isn't [sic: is isn't] bad. Mended the nib, but spoilt the valve.
Gelat is going to Madrid tomorrow. Monday week the ayuntamiento2 will be removed if it does not previously resign. Yesterday it was going to be molestared3 – called to account for irregularities – but the Civil[RG] Governor had a row at the Desfile4 on the Day of the Republica about the presence of a canonico5 on the balcony. Probably then today.
A wire has just come for the Mayor from Palma. Gelat related all this & then we went to Can Mado via the Piñets, and had a sobrasada6 & wine & bread & olives meal at the Fabrica.
Madora with face inflamed by toothache [sic: toothe ache].
Passed a marvellous picnic party coming from the sea. Werner, Broadwood niece, Proxy sister, Abelin, ×××× [overwritten]7 painter, Herpes, the Pansy. (Jammerlich8 & the Krasniks had not attended owing to internal dissensions)

Editorial Notes

1Duofold K.G.
2town council K.G.
3inconvenienced eds.
4parade K.G.
5clergyman K.G.
6sausages K.G.
7? KG
8 Jämmerlich is the German for "miserable": K.G. suggests Graves is referring to Frau Emmerich. K.G./eds.

Hands Referenced

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

Places Mentioned

  • Palma

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

  • Ca'n Madó

    Majorca, Sp
    Old flour mill, on the road to Palma, converted into a hydro-electric plant by Gelat. Laura bought him a generator. Part of the orchard was bought by LR & RG. WG

  • Piñets, Es

    Deyá, Majorca, Sp
    Part of Es Molí estate purchased by RG & LR along with the Posada and part of Ca'n Madó. WG

  • 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

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.)

  • Madora

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

  • Werner

    Werner, Fraulein
    A member of the German community in Deyá? eds.

  • Mrs. Broadwood

    Broadwood, Mrs.
    English widow. Lived near Son Bauzá with her cats. WG; known as "niña vieja," roughly: "mutton dressed up as lamb" KG

  • Proxy

    Macdonald, Proxy
    Living in DeyǰHad a sister. eds.

  • Abelin

    Abelen, Peter
    (1884-1962), German painter living in Deyá. K.G.; RG often misspells the name: Abelin eds.

  • Pansy

    Pepito de Can Jordi
    Called "the Pansy," later known as Pep de Can Pelat, he was gay, and came from a good family in Palma who more or less exiled him to Deyá. He used to dress in drag, and was living with the German painter Leman. WG

  • Frau Emmerich; "Jämmerlich"

    Emmerich, Frau
    German painter, from Magdeburg, resident in Deyá. Invariably referred to with the prefix "Frau". K.G./ WG

  • Krasnik

    Krassnigg
    Austrian Deyá resident. W.G. Austrian painter: his wife's name was Pauline. K.G.