Graves, Robert & Paul Hogarth (ill.): Majorca Observed

Illustrator Paul Hogarth.
Ex bibliotheks Copy.

Some 30 years ago, when Robert Graves sought escape from his native England, he consulted Gertrude Stein, “who always talked sense,” and was persuaded that he could do no better than Majorca. That was long before hordes of sun worshippers had discovered the delights of that exotic Spanish island in the Mediterranean and a couple of years before the Spanish Civil War. The war years forced a brief absence, but Mr. Graves has stuck it out there, with his wife and children, creating in Deyà his own little island within the island. Today he still sings the praises of its good wine and good people, its matchless visual impressions that are more than the sum of its olive and tangerine trees, its ancient churches and colorful streets. The little essays in this book, written over a period of years, combine the writer's sharp personal responses with tid-bits of legend-drenched history and local tales of a quasi-Wordsworthian strain. By putting this protracted love letter into book form, particularly along with Paul Hogarth's splendid pencil drawings, Mr. Graves is likely to get himself more of those tourists he dislikes.