Robert Graves: From Great War Poet to Good-bye to All That

by Jean Moorcroft Wilson

The writer and poet Robert Graves suppressed virtually all the poems he had published during and just after the First World War. Until his son, William Graves, reprinted almost all the Poems About War in 1988, Graves's status as a "war poet" seems to have depended mainly on his prose memoir Goodbye to All That . None of the previous biographies written on Graves attempt to deal with this paradox in any depth. The suppressed poems themselves have been largely neglected--until now. Jean Moorcroft Wilson, celebrated biographer of Siegfried Sassoon and Edward Thomas, relates Graves' fascinating life during the period from his birth up until the early 1930 his experiences in the war, his being left for dead at the Battle of the Somme, his move to Spain, and his final "goodbye" to Sassoon in 1933. In this deeply-researched new book, containing startling archival material never previously revealed and little-studied poems, Moorcroft Wilson traces how Graves' compelling life informed the development of his poetry during the First World War, his thinking about the conflict and his shifting attitude towards it. This illuminating look at Graves' life and poetic work reaffirms his place among the important poets of the Great War. Robert From Great War Poet to Goodbye to All That casts new light on the life, prose and poetry of Graves, without which the story of Great War Poetry is incomplete.

Genres: World War I, Nonfiction, Biography

480 pages, Hardcover

Published October 23, 2018

About the author

Jean Moorcroft Wilson is a lecturer in English at Birkbeck, University of London.

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Moorcroft Wilson is a prolific biographer and I believe this to be one of her best. Obviously Robert Graves has been written about many times before, but she explores his character thoroughly as well as analysing his poetry. Laura Riding is truly the villain of the piece, at least for the second half of the book, but every bad thing the author has to say about her is fully backed up by facts and citations. Hard to fault.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched and informative biography of the author Robert Graves, concentrating on his early life and the First World War, and the work he produced out of the conflict, mostly his poetry, ending with the publication of his autobiography Goodbye To All That. It looks at his changing sexuality, his relationships, both romantic and otherwise, and offers helpful insights into his poetry.

[Dr G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not known much of Graves. I was familiar with his prose writing, especially. I now feel I know and understand the man moderately well. The problem is, I am not greatly impressed with what I see. That is the difficulty with literary biographies. How much do I really need to know about the murky details of an artist's day-by-day actions, bad decisions, unwise utterances?
Jean Moorcroft Wilson appears to have done a thorough job of locating all the information, and her conclusions and analyses feel balanced and reasonable.
It would seem that the events leading up to the writing of "Goodbye To All That" are hotly contested by the supporters of the various antagonists. (the Wikipedia account of Laura Riding is far more friendly towards Riding.) From the evidence Wilson provides, I am inclined to accept her broad judgments. After all, Graves hardly comes out of her version, sparkling. This whole, prolonged episode, one has to say, reads like an outline for a very poor-quality television show.
So, how do I feel, overall, about Jean Moorcroft Wilson's biography?
*It appears to be well researched and balanced.
* It is well written and readable (I was, however, disappointed that a small number of expression errors -who/whom confusion, for example - eluded both the writer who is a tertiary teacher, and the editor.
* I do now have a better understanding of Graves, the flawed human being.
* I don't think that better equips me to read his work intelligently.
* However, it has encouraged me to return to his poetry, as Wilson recommends. This is not as easy as one might hope, since my anthologies do not include many of his works. I shall probably re-read GTAT as well, having enjoyed it when I read it decades ago.

[Paul Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. Well researched, relying mainly on primary source material. Footnoted. A balanced treatment of Graves, as opposed to many biographers who fall in love with their subjects and present an overly optimistic view of their lives and accomplishments. Weaves a great deal of his writing and poetry into the story. I've always been fascinated by the outpouring of poetry in the great war from British officers. Graves comes across as as excellent officer who was respected by his men. Very brave in action, he was severely wounded (his parents received a letter to the effect he'd been killed in action) and spent the remainder of the war in an administrative capacity. His life after the war was much less successful as he made bad decision after bad decision. His wife Nancy comes across as a piece of work, and his girl friend Laura should have been institutionalized. Through the 1920s he alienated most of his erstwhile friends, especially with the publication of Goodbye to All That. I'm looking forward to the sequel which will treat the second half of Graves' life.

[Mark Herring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wilson is a mesmerizing biographer as witnessed by her previous work on Siegfried Sassoon and others. Graves is best known for his Claudius books, some translations, and his autobiography, GOODBYE TO ALL THAT. His war poems are also well-known but he virtually disavowed them all during his lifetime. Wilson relates Graves’s bizarre story that begins penuriously enough and ends with his ménage a trois with the utterly insane Laura Riding. The threesome becomes a foursome and then a six-some before Laura leaps out a four story window only to be followed by Robert from a floor down. Both survive. Robert leaves his wife and four children for this harridan who thinks herself something on the order of shekinah. Never a dull moment, the book ends with the autobiography, but more of this salacious tale are coming. The book proves over and over that an intellectual is a person who will say a stupid thing twice, only in this case, more like several hundred times.

[Brian Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly written biography,great attention to detail and providing a deep insight into the life of Robert Graves, not to mention one or two surprises along the way.
There is careful analysis of many of the poems, how and why they developed in specific ways, the many influences from other poets, writers and critics, together with the social and moral pressures and expectations of the time. Thoroughly engrossing and a tremendously enjoyable read.

[Malcolm Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The life & loves of Robert Graves from birth, through the First World War & up to the publication of "Goodbye to All that". A meticulously researched Biography of his life & especially his Poetry and the famous people who he came into contact with & those who affected his work

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. The riveting story of a highly intellectual, hugely artistic and infuriatingly contradictory man.

[Christine Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellently written biography, totally unbiased. This, I feel, is an accomplishment in itself as the main characters do not have particularly pleasant personalities.