Robert Graves

For other people named Robert Graves, see Robert Graves (disambiguation).

Robert Graves
Graves in 1929
Graves in 1929
Born(1895-07-24)24 July 1895
Wimbledon, Surrey, England
Died7 December 1985(1985-12-07) (aged 90)
Deià, Majorca, Spain
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • poet
  • soldier
Alma materSt John's College, Oxford
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1918; div. 1949)​
Beryl Hodge, née Pritchard
​
​
(m. 1950)​
Children8, including Lucia and Tomás
Military career
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1914–19
RankCaptain
UnitRoyal Welch Fusiliers
Battles/warsFirst World War

Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985)[1][2] was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were both Celticists and students of Irish mythology.

Robert Graves produced more than 140 works in his lifetime. His poems, his translations and innovative analysis of the Greek myths, his memoir of his early life—including his role in World War I—Good-Bye to All That (1929), and his speculative study of poetic inspiration The White Goddess have never been out of print.[3] He is also a renowned short story writer, with stories such as "The Tenement" still being popular today.

He earned his living from writing, particularly popular historical novels such as I, Claudius; King Jesus; The Golden Fleece; and Count Belisarius. He also was a prominent translator of Classical Latin and Ancient Greek texts; his versions of The Twelve Caesars and The Golden Ass remain popular for their clarity and entertaining style. Graves was awarded the 1934 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for both I, Claudius and Claudius the God.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ODNB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "National Portrait Gallery – Person – Robert Ranke Graves". Npg.org.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  3. ^ [1] Review of The White Goddess – A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth outlining different editions
  4. ^ James Tait Black Prize winners: Previous winners – fiction Archived 3 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine