Robert Graves From Great War Poet to Goodbye To All That

[Michelle Young]

New biography  by Jean Moorcroft Wilson. I've just received my copy. I enjoyed reading her biographies of Sassoon and Sorley. Hoping this one is as good .

 

Michelle 

[kenf48]

I was interested, be good to hear your thoughts.  Excellent review from Andrew Motion in the Spectator last week.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/08/menage-a-quatre-with-robert-graves/

 

Behind a paywall but if you register two free articles a week.

 

Ken

 

 

[Michelle Young]

Like all Dr Moorcroft Wilsons books, this was a very good read. Well written and researched. I'm looking forward to the second volume! 

[David Filsell]

I thought this book thoroughly excellent. It offers detailed evaluation and investigation of the often troubled man, his work and his life until he left the UK with his totally potty - actually raving bonkers - partner (female).

In consequence I have followed up by reading the same author's book on Sassoon.

Some of the parallels between the two poet/authors are fascinating, as is their appreciation of each other's work and the influence one on another - although some differences between them are large.

Not least I found Sassoon's anger at Graves exaggeration and invention in Goodbye to all That was actually mirrored in Sasoons inventions about his war in his own writing.  

Both were clearly unreliable witnesses, both suffered the mental consequences of the war which so imbued their writing, both prose and poetry, and their lives to a huge degree.

Morecrift Wilson's books are quite outstanding in their length, breadth, depth and authorship

 

[kenf48]

Thank you both for those comments, will have to seek them out.

 

Ken