Robert Graves and Tolkien
Matthew Harris
about English poet Robert Graves, or vice versa? Since they were both living
and working during the same time period, and they both were part of the
English literary scene, they must have at least known of each other.
Apart from merely being alive at the same time, I would imagine that they
must have had at least a little in common, since both individually seemed to
have come up with life views that put more emphasis on poetry and nature
then on the predominant values of British society of the time. So did they
ever realize the similarities in each others thoughts or works?
Colin Rosenthal
Matthew Harris <mnoel...@uswest.net> wrote:
>Doesa nyone here know of any comments or opionins that JRR Tolkien has
>about English poet Robert Graves, or vice versa? Since they were both living
>and working during the same time period, and they both were part of the
>English literary scene, they must have at least known of each other.
Can anyone here fill in the details, for Matthew's benefit, about Tolkien
meeting Ava Gardner at a lecture by Graves?
--
Colin Rosenthal
Astrophysics Institute
University of Oslo
Jon Meltzer
"Matthew Harris" <mnoel...@uswest.net> wrote in message
news:jk_u5.1710$ko1.5...@news.uswest.net...
> Doesa nyone here know of any comments or opionins that JRR Tolkien has
> about English poet Robert Graves, or vice versa? Since they were both
living
> and working during the same time period, and they both were part of the
> English literary scene, they must have at least known of each other.
>
I suspect that Tolkien would have thought Graves' mythological theses silly
at best.
This is a very interesting question. I hope someone can answer it ...
Öjevind Lång
>Matthew Harris <mnoel...@uswest.net> wrote:
>>Doesa nyone here know of any comments or opionins that JRR Tolkien has
>>about English poet Robert Graves, or vice versa? Since they were both
living
>>and working during the same time period, and they both were part of the
>>English literary scene, they must have at least known of each other.
>
>Can anyone here fill in the details, for Matthew's benefit, about Tolkien
>meeting Ava Gardner at a lecture by Graves?
From Tolkien's Letter 267:
An amusing incident occurred in November, when I went as a courtesy to hear
the last lecture of this series of his held by the Professor of Poetry:
Robert Graves. (A remarkable creature, entertaining, likeable, odd, bonnet
full of wild bees, half-German, half-Irish, very tall, must have looked like
Siegfried/Sigurd in his youth, *but* an Ass.) It was the most ludicrously
bad lecture I have ever heard. After it he introduced me to a pleasant young
woman who had attended it: well but quietly dressed, easy and agreeable, and
we got on quite well. But Graves started to laugh; and he said: 'it is
obvious neither of of you has ever heard of the other before.' Quite true.
And I had not supposed that the lady would ever have heard of me. Her name
was Ava Gardner, but it still meant nothing, till people more aware of the
world informed me that she was a film-star of some magnitude, and that the
press of pressmen and the storm of flash-bulbs on the steps of the Schools
were not directed at Graves (and cert. not at me) but at her.
Öjevind
Colin Rosenthal
Öjevind Lång <ojevin...@swipnet.se> wrote:
>From Tolkien's Letter 267:
>
>An amusing incident occurred in November, when I went as a courtesy to hear
>the last lecture of this series of his held by the Professor of Poetry:
>Robert Graves. (A remarkable creature, entertaining, likeable, odd, bonnet
>full of wild bees, half-German, half-Irish, very tall, must have looked like
>Siegfried/Sigurd in his youth, *but* an Ass.) It was the most ludicrously
>bad lecture I have ever heard. After it he introduced me to a pleasant young
>woman who had attended it: well but quietly dressed, easy and agreeable, and
>we got on quite well. But Graves started to laugh; and he said: 'it is
>obvious neither of of you has ever heard of the other before.' Quite true.
>And I had not supposed that the lady would ever have heard of me. Her name
>was Ava Gardner, but it still meant nothing, till people more aware of the
>world informed me that she was a film-star of some magnitude, and that the
>press of pressmen and the storm of flash-bulbs on the steps of the Schools
>were not directed at Graves (and cert. not at me) but at her.
Thanks Öjevind, and the world still awaits a reproduction of one of those
photos!
