Robert Graves: The Years with Laura, 1926-1940

by Richard Perceval Graves

A biography of the early years of Robert Graves, providing a detailed account of the writer's parents, upbringing, first marriage, friendships, and service in France during the war

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Richard Perceval Graves (born 21 December 1945) is an English biographer, poet and lecturer, best known for his three-volume biography of his uncle Robert Graves.

Richard Graves was born in Brighton, England, the son of John Tiarks Ranke Graves, a younger son of Alfred Perceval Graves. He was educated at Tollard Royal, Dorset, The White House, Wokingham and at Holme Grange School, Wokingham. He went on to Copthorne School (1954–1959), Charterhouse (1959–1964) and St John's College, Oxford (1964–1968). At Oxford, Graves read Modern History and then completed a Diploma in Education. He then taught at several schools until 1973, the year in which he became a full-time writer.

Graves is the author of some nineteen books, including biographies of T. E. Lawrence, A. E. Housman, the Powys brothers (John Cowper Powys, Theodore Francis Powys and Llewelyn Powys) and Richard Hughes. He has written a number of other books on a variety of subjects, and collaborated on several other publishing projects. Graves continues to write, and lectures on the subjects and people about whom he has written. He is married with three children and lives in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Reviews

[Michael Canoeist · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second of the trilogy -- Robert Graves's biography by his nephew. This covers the years of Graves' major literary production, including I, Claudius and Claudius the God and Goodbye to All That. Don't take any of them as gospel; Graves is shown to have been more than cavalier with facts. This volume especially covers the strange romantic life Graves led, living in a menage a trois with his first wife and the American poet Laura Riding for a few years before he and his wife separated, much later to divorce. Let me just say -- this is not the way most men would imagine such a menage to be. Again, as in the first volume, Graves does not come off well as an individual, despite some very fine qualities. But it is an unusual and interesting story, with Riding as a remarkable character.

[Wilfriedhoujebek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book in the three-book biography of Robert Graves by his nephew Richard Perceval Graves. I always thought of Graves as someone of extreme capability and intelligence and who could make a success of everything he put his efforts to. This view has been severely changed after reading this account of his years with Laura Riding, an overbearing American poet under whose control Graves wrote some of the books he is best known for. It is hard to think of Riding as anything other than troubled (to put it mildly) and on of the enigmas in Graves' biography is why stuck with her for as long as he did. RPG gives the outside parameters: Laura's intelligence and manipulative nature and Graves own need to worship but the actual chemistry of attraction remains shrouded. I am not sure if it is possible to unshroud it. RPG describes the relationship with so much detail that it brings you so close to events that I found the psychological battles between Riding/Graves and their friends to be taking its toll on my own sanity. The final episode in which Riding decides she wants a new man in her life and manages to drive the wife of that man into a mental ward is shocking. Especially as they are staying in her house and decry her a witch and destroy her belongings in her absence. Graves (and his wife-to-be Beryl) happily participate in the vigil. There is a truth to Graves' extreme capabilities but here he also comes across as extremely weak and controllable.

[Madkindle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gave me 1st Vol in 90s so have waited long to read this one. Curiously gripping for such an unpleasant sounding man. Laura an intriguing character.

[Chris Craddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading I, Claudius I wanted to read about the author, and this book by Robert's nephew covers the period when he wrote it. He was in love with a really talented, but domineering woman, Laura Riding, and she made his leave his wife. She was jealous of his talent, and though she may have been brilliant, she was not as brilliant as she thought she was and her stuff was unreadable for most of the public. Wow. What a piece of work she was. Robert Graves loved her, and worshipped her, and it is strange, that he did, when he was much more talented than her. She eventually left him, and I hope he had a chance to thank the man who took her off his hands.

[vincent alexis ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a bunch of messy, messy people. this was a surprise find at the bookstore, along with siegfried sassoon’s diaries (!!) and it gives a really interesting context to goodbye to all that which i read a few months ago and really enjoyed. laura riding is a very complicated person who probably needed a lot of help, robert graves as well for that matter. the way they’re presented seems pretty decent for my understanding, without leaning too hard into blaming laura for everything. graves definitely made his own mistakes, ie. the entire treatment of his children. all in all, very readable and compelling account of some classic early 20th c chaotic queers (!).