tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post4909806449858650745..comments2024-03-29T14:45:32.326+13:00Comments on The Imaginary Museum: Why Robert Graves?Dr Jack Rosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01805945600952222957noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-2189777551355149412021-11-28T07:36:22.014+13:002021-11-28T07:36:22.014+13:00Very kind of you to say, Malcolm. To be honest, I ...Very kind of you to say, Malcolm. To be honest, I think you're probably right about the poems. At the time, seven years ago, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer profusion of the <i>Complete Poems</i> trilogy, but since I wrote the above I've had a chance to read the standalone volume of Graves's <i>War Poems</i> (2016) - which includes a whole unpublished book, rejected at the time - and this has underlined for me just how very accomplished he was as a war poet, as well as the wry love poet we already knew.Dr Jack Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01805945600952222957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-29715204126358366952021-11-28T01:08:32.324+13:002021-11-28T01:08:32.324+13:00
Have just read your 2014 “blog” on Graves. Why ar...<br />Have just read your 2014 “blog” on Graves. Why aren’t you more famous Jack? This was the most effective filleting of Gravesiana I have read. Only reservation…Not quite sure you are right re the poems, but it’s driving me back to re-read them. Best, Malcolm SouthanMalcolm Southannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29676463.post-29519238340303598992014-05-22T21:16:36.496+12:002014-05-22T21:16:36.496+12:00Good as usual. I have some of those books and read...Good as usual. I have some of those books and read something of Graves in a biog of Laura Riding. Like many books I have to say I never finished that although it is good I just seem to drift off so to speak. I have those books (paper back) of the myths and Goodbye to All that in a battered Penguin. Leicester was very keen on that book, but I have never got further than page one, again not because it wasn't interesting, I liked it - partly I think I really didn't want to read about war.<br /><br />I did read some time back most of the books by Pat Barker on Sassoon, Owen and the psychiatrist or psychologist Rivers. They are a great series.<br /><br />I have a (Penguin - they are very easy to find) of Graves's translation of The Golden Ass - one can go through life not doing many things but to not read that is close to criminal...<br /><br />Of course there were the I Claudius and the other thing on TV (a very good series). For those times the film 'Caligula' is very good if rather, well, you have to see it: complete with Richard Strauss's great and ominous music from his opera 'Romeo and Juliet'!<br /><br />I just peered into at Baker's bio of Ryder 'In Extremis' and she sent so many letters to Len Lye at one stage (about a libretto she was doing for him for something) he had to neither receive or send anymore to her. Graves was just the chap to be with Ryder with his huge frame and his cape and so on! <br /><br />But you might even do something about Laura Ryder also: some of her poems are great but others are abstract strange (which isn't a always a bad thing) - I think the best were those influenced by Stein - but I once read a couple really strange but interesting stories by her...<br /><br />It was a good thing that such as Graves learned Greek and other languages in those English schools as it means they were able to tackle the Greek stories etc, albeit idiosyncratically in his case.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10272507198753290435noreply@blogger.com