Abstract for December 1938 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 1938

Of the work done this month (amidst Christmas preparations), the Dictionary dominates, although Riding also does some work on Greeks and Trojans and Lives of Wives. She has completed 190 pages of the latter, and expects to write another 60 on Herod's wives. Graves also does a bit of work on The Swiss Ghost and writes to the critic Louis MacNeice, taking him up for his review of my poems in The Listener. On 21 December, the T. E. Lawrence book (T.E. Lawrence to His Biographer) is published in the United States.

David Reeves leaves for England, and his absence is felt keenly by both Graves and Riding. Riding takes to her bed soon after he leaves and has difficulty eating and getting up during the day for the next few weeks. Mid-month she receives news that her father has died in Los Angeles. On 10 December, Riding and Graves receive several long letters from friends - John Aldridge, Schuyler Jackson, Margaret Bottrall, Riding's sister Isabel. Writes Graves, the letters gave the day a lovely colour. Graves has quit smoking, ostensibly to keep Dorothy company (she has quit as well), and experiences no discomfort, really, only a temptation to eat too much. Dorothy has a relapse and begins smoking again, but Graves is liking the experience of not smoking.

Later in the month Graves does a bit of Christmas shopping at the St. Nicholas Fair in Montfort with Hodge, Dorothy, Léonie the cook and Marie the hired help. He goes shopping in Rennes with Beryl (who is now keeping a pet hedgehog and hopes to adopt another kitten soon). Graves and Riding receive gifts from Karl, Jenny Nicholson and Julie Matthews.

On 21 December Graves records the first snowfall of the year - six inches by dusk - and the weather remains very cold for the next several days; it is difficult to spend much time in rooms that don't have a fire burning in them. The new year tiptoes in as Graves and Riding spend the evening at home.

There are eight enclosures this month:

1. Postcard and photo from Jenny 2. Another postcard and photo from Jenny 3. Five-page letter to Graves from Jenny in Liverpool 4. Draft of letter to Desmond Flower from Graves 5. Draft of letter to Louis MacNeice from Graves 6. Note to self: Time Dec 12 7. A summary of events in 1938 8. List of words
Montfort Monfort Brittany France Rennes Rennes France where Gelat's daughter, Anita, and son-in-law, Juan Vives live; visited by RG and LR et al in 1938 eds. Riding Laura Laura Riding, Laura (1901-91) American poet. Laura Riding (née Reichenthal; then Laura Gottschalk). Graves Robert Robert Graves, Robert [1st person]. (1895-1985). Poet, novelist, essayist, critic, and author of his diary. eds. MacNeice Louis Louis MacNeice MacNeice, Louis Irish poet (1907-1963). eds. Reeves David David Reeves Reeves, David Brother of James Reeves [and Ethel Herdman] RPG 292. Aldridge John Arthur Malcolm Aldridge Aldridge, John (1905-1983), painter and close friend and collaborator. WG m. to Lucie Brown 1940 eds. Jackson Schuyler Schuyler Jackson Jackson, Schuyler American poet who became Laura Riding's second husband. Graves and Riding stayed with Jackson, his wife Katharine ("Kit"), and his family on their farm in Pennsylvania in 1939. It was here that the partnership between R.G. and L.R. came to an end. eds Bottrall Francis James Ronald Bottrall Bottrall, Ronald poet KG; married to Margaret Bottrall, writer and editor eds. Mayers Isabel Isabel Mayers, Isabel Laura Riding's sister. Lived in L.A. WG Dorothy Simmons, Dorothy Sculptor associated with the Graves-Riding inner circle (1938-39). Married to Montague Simmons. eds 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 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. Nicholson Jenny Jenny Nicholson, Jenny Jenny Nicholson: oldest daughter of Robert by Nancy Nicholson. Matthews Julie Julie Matthews, Julie Tom Matthews' wife. WG Flower Desmond Desmond Flower Flower, Desmond associated with Cassell publishers KG 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. Dictionary [projected project; unfinished] Riding, Laura 1935 Trojan Ending [dramatised version based on Laura Riding's book; later called Greeks and Trojans] Graves, Robert 1938-01 Lives of Wives [prose] Riding, Laura London, Toronto, Melbourne & Sydney Cassell and Co. Ltd. A39 1939 The Swiss Ghost [formerly The Kind Ghost] [novel] Graves, Robert/ Riding, Laura 1937-04-22 Listener, The [BBC magazine] Janet Adam Smith London T.E. Lawrence to His Biographer Lawrence, T.E. Graves, Robert New York Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc. A49 1938 Time [Magazine] New York