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Robert Graves collection
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Correspondence, Lot Gr-19

Gr-19 is an interesting series of autograph letters to four members of Graves' family: to his brother Charles 1968-70, 12letters on activities and personalities, also filling in some biographical background on Graves' first marriage and his early struggle to become a poet; to his sister-in-law Vivienne 1967-71, 4letters commenting widely on family matters, mythology and religion; to his niece Diana, 14 letters, 1958-74; an affectionate series of letters filled with diverting news to cheer Diana who is suffering ill health and anxieties about her son Simon Gough; to his half-brother Richard, 8 letters, 1950-60, written with particular warmth and filled with news of current projects. There are 60 pages in all.

Correspondence, Lot Gr-22

Accession No. 1977-007

Gr-22 is a large important series of autograph letters to Mr. and Mrs. Redvers Taylor with letters from Beryl Graves and four fascinating letters from Laura Riding and Hans Rothe. There are twenty-three letters to the Taylors, 1948-1960, keeping them up to date on goings on in Mallorca and on Graves' artistic activities. There is one Beryl Graves letter (Aug. 1944). There are two Riding letters addressed to Mrs. Addis, c. 1934, one of which makes clear Laura Riding's conception of her relationship with Robert Graves. The two Hans Rothe letters (Dec. 1934 and May 1935) describe Rothe's life and work since leaving Deya and reflect back on his unhappy collaboration, as German translator of the Claudius books, with Graves. There are 54 pages in this lot.

Letters to Mrs. Redvers Taylor; with letters from Beryl Graves, Laura Riding and Hans Rothe

By 1948 the recipient of these letters was married to the painter and collector Lt. Col. R.H. Redvers Taylor, and a number of Graves' letters are addressed to "Dear Louise and Red". She had been formerly Mrs. Emmett Addis, and clearly first met Graves and Laura Riding in Mallorca in the 1930's. It is surmised that they may have been introduced by Gertrude Stein, whose Emmet Addis the doughboy; a pastoral was published (in Useful Knowledge) in 1928.

Gr 22-1-32, Twenty-Three Autograph Letters, signed. 2 pages f'cap, 21 pages 4to, 10 pages 8vo. Written from Mallorca and various addresses in England. Mostly 1948-1960, a few later, the last 1972.

In this charming and affectionate series Graves takes particular pains to keep Mrs. Taylor in touch with the life that she had known on the island, forwarding gossip, sending news of mutual friends and local 'characters', describing the seasons, festivals, his garden and so on. His first two letters (January 1948) tell of "a grand Christmas...and a bright New Year binge in Palma", while in the intervals of merrymaking he is preparing page proofs of The White Goddess for the press. A year later he sends thanks for a snuff box ("in constant use with gramophone needles"), and reports: "I've at last finished my mad self-assignment of three books ...and tomorrow am a free man (Memo: tidy up the cellar and my bookcases!)". July of the same year finds him in England, but too busy with family affairs to meet. He does, however, manage to visit Redvers Taylor's exhibition, though he is somewhat overwhelmed by the pictures en masse and wishes that he could see them one at a time. "They are all so uncompromising that they reminded me of people in a train who are all self-possessed but resenting one another's company".

An especially amusing letter is inspired by various discoveries about the derivations of nursery rhymes (on which he is writing an essay): "Goosey Goosey Gander, I have found out, was an Oxford Proctor who wouldn't say prayers for Wm.III...". His chief labour is on "the Gospel book which developed from the Broadcast talk" and by April 1950 this has reached "200,000 concentrated words".

Local affairs continue to feature large in the letters, as Graves deftly portrays the scene: "The excitements & scandals of the village show no sign of abatement, the present centre being a nice, intelligent, Turkish-Algerian dancer from the Folies Bergeres, who came here escorted by a rich but psychopathic young New Yorker and lies in the sun at the Cala in a negligible bikini putting on too much weight". The Graves household itself has meanwhile been enlarged by the acquisition of "a lovely donkey called Isabel". The death of the King, in February 1952, elicits musings on monarchy: ".. So we have a new Queen: always a good thing for England. George VI was an ordinary, nice, industrious, eager, not very bright monarch; but give me Queens every time".

During the latter 1950's the letters become more sporadic, as Graves undertakes ever more commissions and appointments, in the effort to maintain and educate his growing family and other dependants. He sends occasional bulletins, describing his meetings with Tyrone Guthrie and discussions on the proposed Broadway musical Solomon and Sheba; advisory work of the film Lawrence of Arabia; travels and lecture tours ("did the girls fall for me in Boston?'); his fondness for Ava Gardner: " we love her dearly and she was trying to do me a bit of good by including me in her shipwrecked society. (Playing safe, is our Ava; the chosen 10 were all either too old like Stevenson, Hemingway, Dr. Alexander & I; or queer like...)". But these reports are almost always enlivened by Graves' initial insights - "That Goddess's breasts are really dates which make her less of a monster".

The final letter (March 1972) shows him a little less buoyant and feeling his years, "Still alive. Children all grown up. Grandchildren everywhere...& my memory is fast going". He has not forgotten old friends, however, and "I always think of you as I go past Calabet".

Note: The letters of February 1952 and February 1953 are written on the versos of heavily revised pages of an early draft of The Greek Myths. Typescript & Carbon Typescript. 2 pages f'cap.

Gr-22-33-37, Beryl GRAVES. Autograph Letter, signed. Deya, August [1949]. 2 pages 8vo. With an inscribed Christmas card.

Gr-22-38-46, Laura RIDING. Two Autograph Letters, signed. Undated, but c. 1934. 9 pages 4to.

The first letter is an astonishing and closely-argued explanation of Miss Riding's 'cutting' Mrs. Addis, in which she lengthily makes "a few things clear". Among these is the nature of her relationship with Graves: "..Nor do I compete with R.G. in notoriety. Nor is the basis of our association that he has written a popular book. If our association rested on that book I should not permit him to be here with me. The basis of our association is that he needs and accepts the standards I define. My relations with people must either have such a basis, or a basis of courteous indifference. I am quite willing to be nobody in particular to people if everyone else concerned is equally nobody in particular. Then at least one can be sure that no careless interpretations are being put on immediate facts. The fact that I have houses is then the fact that I have houses. It is not possible then to say, 'Oh, she is a woman and he not only a man, but also the author of that book, so of course it must be his houses". More in the same vein is concluded with an explanation of the explanation itself: ".. there has been much confusion going on between your house and my house and.. Table must be tidy... not greeting you at all was from tidiness. If greeting you and passing intercourse can be also tidy, good". The letter is preserved in its original envelope, addressed bluntly "Mrs. Addis". On the back of the envelope Mrs. Addis wrote a note to a friend: "I found this under my door when I returned to Deya last Saturday... For God's sake don't let anything happen to it, for this - the enclosed - is my most precious souvenir of Deya & Mallorca. To me 'tis almost too good to be true!".

In the second letter Miss Riding, at the doctor's suggestion, invites Mrs. Addis to Canellun to play cards, which "spends two or three hours very nicely".

Gr 22-47-54, Hans ROTHE. Two Typed Letters, signed. London, December 1934; Italy, May 1935. 6 pages 4to.

Long and interesting letters in which Rothe describes his life and work since leaving Deya, and looks back on events there: "..In London I met Canellun's publisher who informed me that staying at C'antorrent 10 weeks means a world's record that will never be beaten". Despite disagreements, however, Rothe is able to state: "Well, this chapter Claudius has been definitely concluded. I enjoyed it very much, and it is a pity for Mr. Graves that his character does not allow him to enjoy life and things. But probably everybody would lose his spirits by being tied up to a Laura".

Included with the letters are Rothe's revised Typescript draft of his leave-taking letter to Graves (Hotel Playa de Paguera, October 1934). 2 pages 4to. This stirring document begins: "I was fortunate enough to get your promise that you would never talk to me again. I do not want to lose privileges I am fully deserving". Later Rothe delivers himself of a few home truths concerning their work together. "I was sorry you found collaboration with me so extremely difficult. I found it extremely easy, as you were not able to deliver two sentences congruently, and left everything entirely to me. I was fortunate enough to get all useful informations from other quarters that enabled me to correct your mistakes".

Rothe is best known for his many translations of Shakespeare's plays. By his own account he undertook to translate "and adapt" Graves' Claudius books "on the request of my publisher...[who] has done much for my real and important work".

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