ROBERT GRAVES - THE ASSAULT HEROIC, 1895-1926

In this biography of his uncle, Richard Perceval Graves is going over ground well covered before. The subject gave his own version of his youth and WW I experience in his classic memoir Goodbye To All That, and other authors have contributed their versions of his life. This book adds yet another viewpoint—one invaluable to serious students of Graves' life and/or England's legendary group of "war poets." As a family member, Richard had access to a vast amount of memorabilia carefully collected by his father, John—who was Robert's brother and who had planned a biography. With John's death in 1980, the torch passed from father to the son, an experienced biographer himself (The Brothers Powys). The action covered starts several decades before the author's birth, and draws on material that goes back to the 18th century. The period officially treated here is 1895-1926, but this book gives biographies of the poet's father and his German. born mother, Alfred Graves' second wife, so that the stage is well set before Robert makes an appearance. The large, upper-middle-class Edwardian household, Robert's refuge in poetry at public school his war service, and his relationships with Siegfried Sassoon, Laura Riding, and his first wife are documented, often in minute detail. The tone is more formal than American readers may expect. Richard refers to his uncle as "Robert" or "Graves" and prefers to substantiate his conclusions with references to family letters or photographs, rather than family reminiscence. As meticulously researched as this book appears to be, it results in a somewhat slow read. It will fascinate those who already have an interest in the poet—and perhaps only them.