Robert Graves

Born in Wimbledon, England, on July 24, 1895, Robert Graves became one of the most versatile literary figures of the 20th century. He served in the First World War, an experience that shaped his writing for years afterward and found powerful expression in his memoir Good-Bye to All That.

Graves wrote poetry throughout his life, but he also became widely known for his historical fiction, especially I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Alongside novels, he produced criticism, translations, and studies of classical myth, including the influential and much-discussed The White Goddess.

He spent much of his later life in Deià, Majorca, where he continued to write and build the body of work that made him famous. Graves died there on December 7, 1985, leaving behind books that still attract readers interested in history, myth, war writing, and poetry.