The Relationship Between Laura Riding and Robert Graves

In A Checklist of The Hogarth Press 1917-1946, J. Woolmer attempts to catalogue all the publications from the Hogarth Press. Both Laura Riding and Robert Graves published in the Hogarth Press. The two poets have a connection to Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press.

Initially, Robert Graves publishes Mock Beggar Hall in 1924, Contemporary Techniques of Poetry: A Political Analogy in 1925, Another Future of Poetry in 1926, and Impenetrability or The Proper Habit of English in 1926-1927. Laura Riding, on the other hand, only published Voltaire: A Bibliographical Fantasy in 1927, which is also the last work that appears in the Hogarth Press written by Robert Graves. (Woolmer).

According to Richard Graves’ work titled, Robert Graves, Robert Graves and Laura Riding met each other in January 1926 and broke off their relationship in 1940. Both of the writers’ most famous works were produced during the time period that they were in touch with each other. Richard Graves uses past letters, diaries, memoirs, and photos along with family trees to piece together information regarding the two writers. At the time when the two met, Robert Graves was going through the end of his marriage with Nancy Nicholson. Laura Riding helped Robert Graves most past his failed marriage and continue writing so he produced Good-bye to All That. Laura eventually breaks up with Robert because she feels she has too much control over him and it makes him less interesting. He was also dependent on her as a must and as a source of approval so they both broke up indefinitely in 1940. (Richard Graves).