Abstract for December 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.
DECEMBER 1937

December is a month of Christmas preparations and family drama. Christmas shopping becomes a social affair (a visit with Mary Lucy to the Caledonian Market, an excursion to Regent Street, another trip to the Market with Alan and Catherine), and Graves indulges in his passion for gift-giving. He notes the details of his purchases, including two ostrich eggs for Alan at 1s. 6d. (apparently not the sum total of ostrich eggs for Hodge, who will receive another one from Karl).

Though time for serious work is short this month, Graves finishes the draft of the last chapter of Belisarius just before Christmas. We also learn that Alan's letter on Auden has been turned down everywhere it was submitted. Riding delivers a paper entitled Positive Capability at the English faculty library at Cambridge to an audience of between 60 and 70 people. She is still working on the Letter Book (The World and Ourselves); she completes the last section, leaving only three recommendations to write. She also completes a draft of a poem about Christmas.

Mary Lucy stays for the first few weeks of December. She, Graves and Riding discuss her husband John, whom Graves describes as violent and homicidal. A few days after Mary leaves the couple's flat, she calls from Morecombe to let Graves and Riding know that she has left John with the two children and is now in Cumberland with Nan and Wilfred. Graves talks with the police and a solicitor about threatening letters that he and Riding receive from John Lucy. Maisie suggests having John Lucy certified as insane.

In visits with family, Jenny's debt problems once again take centre stage. Graves offers to write her a letter of introduction to Noel Coward in the hope that he will give her an audition. Although she is given the audition, Coward needs someone who can sing; Jenny doesn't make the cut. Catherine, David, Nancy and Sam (whose hearing is deteriorating) all visit this month as well. David finishes Christmas exams at Cambridge, and family and friends celebrate Amy Graves' birthday on 15 December. But the situation with Jenny soon becomes more of a concern: a few days before Christmas, both of Graves' brothers call to inform Graves that Jenny's name has been linked to one David Willmer, who has committed a violent robbery with three others at a hotel in Knightsbridge. Graves assures them that Jenny has had no recent contact with the man.

Despite these upsets the year ends on a high note: Graves and Riding welcome the new year with Honor, Gordon, Alan, Beryl, James and Mary Reeves, Sally and Richard Chilver, a few others, and a bottle of Domecq brandy.

There is one enclosure this month: a newspaper clipping - Fined For Strike Meeting Speech - about another Robert Graves fined for threatening words at a meeting in Bethnal Green.

Caledonian Market London England Regent St. Westminster London England Cambridge [University] Cambridge England University attended by RG's son David. eds. Knightsbridge Kensington/Chelsea London England 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). Hodge Alan Alan Hodge, Alan Oxford history graduate. Became close friends with LR & RG. First husband of Beryl Graves. CP & WG Nicholson Catherine Catherine Nicholson, Catherine Catherine Nicholson: (1922- ) third of four children of Robert Graves and Nancy Nicholson. eds. Graves Robert Robert Graves, Robert [1st person]. (1895-1985). Poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and author of his diary. eds. 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. Auden W. H. Auden Auden, W.H. British poet (1907-1973). R.G. disliked. eds Riding Laura Laura Riding, Laura (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk). Lindsay Jack Jack Lindsay Lindsay, Jack Lindsay was the eldest son of Norman Lindsay and author of over 150 books, including translations, novels, biography, politics and philosophy. He lived in England from 1925 until his death. Roberts Nan Roberts, Nan wife of Wilfred Roberts, the M.P. for North Cumberland eds. Roberts Wilfred Wilfred Roberts, Wilfred Liberal MP for North Cumberland. A strong critic of the Nazi régime, an early opponent of fascism and appeasement, and a vigorous supporter of the republican side in the Spanish Civil War. (see article in The Times obituary column, June 1, 1991) eds. John Lucy Lucy, John Estranged husband of Mary Lucy; RG and LR are drawn into their marital problems. eds. Sommerville Maisie Maisie Sommerville, Maisie Head of BBC Education broadcasting department. Friend of R.G. and L.R. Arranged accomodation for them when they returned to London as exiles. W.G., eds. Nicholson Jenny Jenny Nicholson, Jenny Jenny Nicholson: oldest daughter of Robert by Nancy Nicholson. Coward Sir Noël Peirce Noel Coward Coward, Noel (1899-1973), playwright and composer 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. Nicholson Nancy Nancy Nicholson, Nancy (1899-1977) First wife of Robert Graves; married 1918, separated 1927, divorced 1949. eds. Graves Samuel Sam Graves, Samuel R.G.'s youngest child by Nancy Nicholson. C.P.& WG Graves Amy A.G. (A.E.S.G) Graves, Amy Amy Graves, RG's Mother. WG Wyatt Honor 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). Glover Gordon Gordon Glover, Gordon Married to Honor Wyatt. WG Beryl Pritchard, Beryl daughter of Harry and Amy Pritchard, R.G.'s second wife. Formerly married to Alan Hodge. Robert and Beryl had four children: William, Lucia, Juan and Tomas. eds 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. Chilver née Graves Sally Sally Graves, Sally R.G.'s niece. Daughter of his half-brother Philip. KG Chilver Richard Richard Chilver, Richard husband of Sally Graves RG 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. Editors Editors of the Graves Diary Project. Count Belisarius [1938] Graves, Robert London Cassell A47 1937-07-21 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 Christmas [poem; see also Focus IV (1935) "Laura: Christmas" [poem]] Collected Poems [1938] Riding, Laura London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney Cassell 308 A35 1937-12-15