Robert Graves

Robert Graves was born in Wimbeldon in 1895. He attended public school and was later offered a scholarship to St. John's College at Oxford University. When World War 1 began, he enlisted and became commissioned as a Captain. In July, 1916, he was grievously wounded, and, though his family was mistakenly told he had died, Graves partially recovered, his lungs permanently damaged. Graves published poems on his war experiences and returned to attend St. John's College. Later was given a post at the University of Cairo. Graves wrote poetry as well as novels on a variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. While at University of Cairo, Graves co-authored A Survey of Modernist Poetry and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies and published Lawrence and the Arabs. He then moved to Spain with his family, and there wrote I, Claudius, a tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius. He returned to England due to the Spanish Civil War, but returned to Spain to retire. Graves died in December 1985.