In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously 'part of the war poetry boom'. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. Johnstone, a boy of fourteen ('Dick' in Goodbye to All That) When challenged by the headmaster he defended himself by citing Plato, Greek poets, Michelangelo & Shakespeare, 'who had felt as I did'.Īt the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. While at Charterhouse in 1912, he fell in love with G.H. He was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford in 1961 and made an honorary fellow of St John’s College, Oxford, in 1971.Robert von Ranke Graves (1895-1985), born in Wimbledon, received his early education at King's College School and Copthorne Prep School, Wimbledon & Charterhouse School and won a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford. Graves earned his living by writing popular historical novels, including I, Claudius (for which he was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize), King Jesus, The Golden Fleece and Count Belisarius.

Graves's translations and innovative analysis and interpretations of the Greek myths, the memoir of his early life, Good-bye to all That, and his speculative study of poetic inspiration, The White Goddess, have never been out of print. During his long life he produced more than 140 works.

Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet and novelist, scholar, translator and writer of antiquity, specialising in Classical Greece and Rome. The result is a classic among classics, a treasure trove of extraordinary tales and a masterful work of literature in its own right. Ideal for the first-time reader, it is equally valuable for anyone seeking an authoritative and detailed account of the gods, heroes and extraordinary events that provide the bedrock of Western literature. With a novelist's skill and a poet's eye, Graves draws on the entire canon of ancient literature, bringing together all the elements of every myth into one epic and unforgettable story.

Including many of the greatest stories ever told - the labours of Hercules, the voyage of the Argonauts, Theseus and the minotaur, Midas and his golden touch, the Trojan War and Odysseus's journey home - Robert Graves's superb and comprehensive retelling of the Greek myths for a modern audience has been regarded for over fifty years as the definitive version.

Robert graves the greek myths volume 1