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Goodbye to All That

Robert Graves

Start date: May 1, 2021

Finish date: June 30, 2021

Discussion: Non-Fiction Classics

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Dec 07, 2022 Chrissie rated it really liked it

Shelves: bio, legimus, medical, 2022-read, ireland, poetry, germany, love, humor, relationships

At the age of thirty three, in 1929, Robert Graves wrote and dictated this book. He writes of his life up to this point. Twenty-eight years later he filled in names which had not been revealed when the book first came out, to protect individuals’ privacy. With the passage of almost three decades names could be stated outright. This is explained in the short prologue of the edition I read.

The book ends at the point when Graves and his first wife Nancy split, he leaves England and takes up residen At the age of thirty three, in 1929, Robert Graves wrote and dictated this book. He writes of his life up to this point. Twenty-eight years later he filled in names which had not been revealed when the book first came out, to protect individuals’ privacy. With the passage of almost three decades names could be stated outright. This is explained in the short prologue of the edition I read.

The book ends at the point when Graves and his first wife Nancy split, he leaves England and takes up residence in Majorca, Spain. Thereof follows the title. He is saying, “Goodbye to all that!” meaning another stage of his life had begun. A good title, if you ask me!

What this book tackles is his childhood, his youth, education and participation in the First World War. The central focus are the war years. Graves enlisted at the start of the war. He joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers. In May 1915 he was sent to France. On July 20, 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, four days before his twenty-first birthday, he was struck by a shell fragment. Passing through his shoulder and chest, it seriously injured his right lung. Although near death, he did survive, contrary to what had come out in the press! The Times listed him the next day among the dead! Physically and psychologically recuperation was a battle in itself. Few of of those who do survive a war ever talk and explain and share with others their experiences. I am here thinking of my own father. Not a word would he ever say other than that he was there at the Battle of the Bulge. It takes strength and great courage to speak out, as Graves has done. We observe his path back toward mental stability, growth toward maturity and an understanding of himself. A person can study psychology and read in a textbook about post traumatic stress disorder, but this book is so much better. It brings one closer to a fuller understanding! Graves reveals his personal struggle.

The war experiences are well told and through them we observe their impact on Graves.

Graves’ friendship with other poets, authors and fellow compatriots I found extremely interesting, particularly that with the poet Siegfried Sassoon. Sassoon was a fellow-Fusilier! T. E. Lawrence became a friend after the Armistice. Arnold Bennett was another dear friend. I am mentioning a mere few.

You get a good feel for who Robert Graves really was. He was stoic. He had a stiff upper lip. He is reserved, doesn’t show his emotions. Speaking of his near fatal injury, he says merely, “I had much discomfort and shortness of breath.” He has humor. It is ironic in tone. He points out that when leaving boarding school, i.e. Charterhouse, a professor exclaimed, “Well goodbye Graves, and remember your best friend is the wastepaper basket!” Yet Graves also informs us, in self-defense, that lines do not simply fall from his fingers; he writes and rewrites everything. He works to get the lines right!

At Audible this book is abridged. Be careful, don’t choose that. I am fortunate enough to have access to the book at Legimus, a site in Sweden for those with poor vision. The Legimus version is read by Sean Barrett. His narration is topnotch! I get a kick when he switches between American and British English. This does make one smile. His French pronunciation is OK. I feel he captures well Graves’ personality through his speech. This is important since Graves is telling us the story of his own life. In addition, every word spoken is clear and distinct. His narration n is easy to follow. He pauses in all the right spots. I have rated the narration five stars—it was that good!

This is a very good book. I could go on and on mentioning tidbits that I find noteworthy, but enough is enough. I definitely recommend the book. You get to know a very interesting person and Graves has important things to share with us about the First World War and more. ...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Lisa M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A wonderful memoir of Graves' life up until the age of 30. While mostly celebrated as a first hand account of WWI it does include his childhood and school experiences prior and his family and career life after. While my initial purpose in reading this book was because it's a WWI memoir I'm glad to have read the before and after as it provides context for what he went through, and many like him. Having read the Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker I felt that I was familiar with the WWI psyche, and ...more

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