Abstract for July 1937 Abstracts of Robert Graves Diary 1935-39 Shoichet, Jillian compiled by L.R. Roberts University of Victoria Libraries
P.O.. Box 1800, STN CSC Victoria B.C., VH3 2W5 Canada
July, 2006 UVic Text Analysis Portal for Research URL: http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/tapor/tapor.htm UVic Humanities Computing and Media Centre URL: http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/tapor/tapor.htm University of Victoria, Victoria B.C., Canada

Copyright of diary available by permission of the Robert Graves Trust

Copyright of introduction to diary available by permission of Elizabeth Grove-White

Copyright of diary markup, editorial notes and abstract by permission of the University of Victoria Libraries

Copyright of notes marked WG by permission of William Graves

Copyright of notes marked KG, Robert Graves Trust

 University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre and University of Victoria Libraries

held in the University of Victoria Libraries, Special Collections, Robert Graves Collection
P.O.. Box 1800, STN CSC Victoria B.C., VH3 2W5 Canada
acquired by the Libraries from Robert Graves in 1971 through the offices of Bertram Rota SC050GR01 Diary of Robert Graves 1935-39 and ancillary material Graves, Robert (1895-1985) University of Victoria Libraries
P.O.. Box 1800, STN CSC Victoria B.C., VH3 2W5 Canada
July, 2006 UVic Text Analysis Portal for Research URL: http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/tapor/tapor.htm UVic Humanities Computing and Media Centre URL: http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/tapor/tapor.htm University of Victoria, Victoria B.C., Canada

Copyright of diary available by permission of the Robert Graves Trust

Copyright of introduction to diary available by permission of Elizabeth Grove-White

Copyright of diary markup, editorial notes and abstract by permission of the University of Victoria Libraries

Copyright of notes marked WG by permission of William Graves

Copyright of notes marked KG, Robert Graves Trust

 University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre and University of Victoria Libraries

held in the University of Victoria Libraries, Special Collections, Robert Graves Collection
P.O.. Box 1800, STN CSC Victoria B.C., VH3 2W5 Canada
acquired by the Libraries from Robert Graves in 1971 through the offices of Bertram Rota SC050GR01 Victoria, BC, Canada University of Victoria Libraries Special Collections OHC0005681 PR6013.R35

Graves' diary manuscript includes 1546 pages including 117 enclosures: letters, clippings, photographs post cards, notes, games, etc.

Private URIs to the ref prefix are pointers to entities in references.xml, which contains all people, places, organizations, and other entities referred to throughout the project.

Pointers to the repository of facsimile images of the Graves diary.

Private URIs to the ref prefix are pointers to entities in references.xml, which contains all people, places, organizations, and other entities referred to throughout the project.

Pointers to the repository of facsimile images of the Graves diary.

 Primary hand. Secondary hand. Secondary hand. Primary hand.
JULY 1937

July opens with Graves still in hospital recovering from surgery. It is not an idle convalescence; friends and relatives visit frequently, bearing gifts of food and trinkets and reading materials. From his bed, Graves writes letters and continues to work on his poetry, completing drafts of Florist Rose and To Break Delight, about which he expresses some artistic doubt. He grumbles about Philip and Kitty's marriage - particularly his concern that if his older brother has a son, David will lose his place as the family heir apparent.

On 6 July, Graves is discharged, and on 7 July he and Riding head for the house in Ewhurst along with Harry and Alix. The next few days are domestic: unpacking, buying furniture and arranging the house to suit Graves and Riding's tastes, and employing a maid. Alan Hodge and Karl arrive on 12 July and join the house-beautifying efforts. Graves continues to take things slowly but is in good spirits. The house is not so depressing as Riding had described it, although Graves admits there are a few aesthetic problems: How to deal with the ineluctable mauve carpet & the irremediable yellow-brown fire-place tiles?

As the household establishes a routine, work begins again on The Swiss Ghost, and Riding finishes the preface to her Letter Book (later published as The World and Ourselves). Graves is almost satisfied with the introduction he is writing to his poems. He rewrites Pygmalion to Galatea, The Stake, and a longer poem called Angry Samson. He decides to discard A Wounded Man, but seems happy with the draft of a new poem, Cataphracts.

This month, Graves also begins work on Belisarius (later published as Count Belisarius). Doubleday expresses interest in Graves and Riding's dictionary project, and Graves sends the finished Claudius film version to Random House. Disappointingly, Constable rejects Hodge's Year of Damage.

Mid-month sees Graves plagued by an abscessed tooth, which must be removed. The resulting pain and discomfort has a dampening effect on both his work and his mood until the end of July.

But there are small celebrations: Riding is charmed by her new kitten, whom she names Celia (later "Solace"). The household marks Graves' forty-second birthday on 24 July with Alix and Harry, Alan, Karl, James and Mary and the poet Mary Lucy, whom Graves meets for the first time. Alix and Harry present Graves with an old English yew bow and a quiver of arrows; some time is spent arguing cheerfully about how best to string a bow. Over the next several weeks, Graves' archery skills improve markedly, and the local rabbits learn to give the man a wide berth.

There are two enclosures this month:

1. Letter to Graves from Riding (in Spanish) 2. Letter to Graves from Sam
Ewhurst Ewhurst Surrey England Highcroft, the house RG and LR rented with Harry and Alix Kemp between July and November 1937, was located there. eds. Graves Robert Robert Graves, Robert [1st person]. (1895-1985). Poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and author of his diary. eds. Graves Philip Perceval Philip Graves, Philip R.G.'s half brother. WG Kitty Palmor Graves Palmor, Kitty Married to Philip Graves, R.G.'s half-brother. eds Graves David David Graves, David R.G.'s second child [by Nancy Nicholson]. W.G. In RAF; killed in the war. The only one of Graves' children who might have become a poet had he lived. K.G., eds. Riding Laura Laura Riding, Laura (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk). Harry Kemp Kemp, Harry Poet. Met Graves and Riding through James Reeves in August 1936, just after their arrival in England. In their previous correspondence, Riding had been intrigued by his falling-out with Communism. He became associated with their circle, collaborating on various projects. (RPG 248-49) Alix Kemp Kemp, Alix Married to poet Harry Kemp. The couple shared a house with Graves and Riding in Ewhurst, Surrey (1937). eds (RPG 277); also referred to as Frau Eierman by RG eds. see Diary August 30, 1936 Hodge Alan Alan Hodge, Alan Oxford history graduate. Became close friends with LR & RG. First husband of Beryl Graves. CP & WG Goldschmidt Karl 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. Reeves James 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. Reeves Mary Mary Reeves, Mary wife of James Reeves; daughter Stella born 14 June, 1938 eds. Lucy Mary Mary Lucy Lucy, Mary Visited R.G. and L.R. at Ewhurst. An admirer of both Graves and Riding, but her marital problems brought tensions to their household. See diary entry January 2, 1938 (and K.G. note). Graves Samuel Sam Graves, Samuel R.G.'s youngest child by Nancy Nicholson. C.P.& WG Graves Robert Graves, Robert Author of the diary. Graves Beryl A. Graves, Beryl A. Second wife of Robert Graves. Transcribed the diary entries and register of letters written (hereafter, logs) from a photocopy of the manuscript, and these 53 monthly MS Dos, ASCII files, dated 01/01/83 were sent to Chris Petter by The Robert Graves Trust on floppy disc in 1996. Goldschmidt Karl Goldschmidt, Karl Karl Goldschmidt, d.1995, who later changed his name to Kenneth Gay, was Robert Graves' and Laura Riding's personal secretary during the period when the diary was written. He later annotated another printout of the diary produced from the B.A. Graves transcript, which is at the Graves Trust Archives in St. John's Oxford. Notes by Karl Goldschmidt are denoted as KG. Shoichet Jillian Shoichet, Jillian Abstracts: responsible for researching and writing the abstracts for the whole diary Graves William 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. Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc. Doubleday Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. U.S. Publishers Random House Random House American publishers (New York) eds. Constable & Co., Ltd. Constable Constable Constable Publishers. Arranged with them to print and distribute Seizin Press Epilogue and books. WG Editors Editors of the Graves Diary Project. Florist Rose, The [poem] Collected Poems [1938] Graves, Robert London Cassell A48 1938 To Break Delight [poem: became "To Challenge Delight"? (Check drafts in Buffalo for this title.) DW] Graves, Robert 1937-07-04 The Swiss Ghost [formerly The Kind Ghost] [novel] Graves, Robert/ Riding, Laura 1937-04-22 Letter Book [became The World and Ourselves] Riding, Laura The World and Ourselves [former title: Letter Book] Riding, Laura [contributor; with Sally Graves, Sir Edward Marsh et al] Riding, Laura London Chatto & Windus 1938-11 Pygmalion to Galatea [poem; revised July 1937 eds.] Poems (1914-1926) [1927] Graves, Robert London William Heinemann, Ltd. A23 1927 Stake, The [poem; revised July 1937 eds.] Pier-Glass, The [1921] Graves, Robert London Matin Secker A6 1921 Angry Samson [poem; revised July 1937] Collected Poems [1938] Graves, Robert London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney Cassell A48 1937-07-17 The Wounded Man [poem; discarded according to RPG (p. 270); Not traced. Apparently not published. DW] Graves, Robert 1937-03-31 Cataphracts [poem] [the initial title on drafts of "The Cuirassiers of the Frontier". See Complete Poems, Vol. II, pp. 80-81, and p. 311 (note and footnote). DW] Graves, Robert 1937-07-20 Count Belisarius [1938] Graves, Robert London Cassell A47 1937-07-21 Claudius Film Version [The Fool of Rome] [a condensed novel based on I, Claudius] Graves, Robert Year of Damage [novel] Hodge, Alan 1936-12