Conference noted::sf

297.0. "Robert Graves -- R.I.P." by PEN::KALLIS () Fri Dec 27 1985 13:54

Unfortunately, a reasonable cross-section of the SF/Fantasy world hasn't
heard much, if anything, about Robert Graves.  In the public mind, he was
most notable for the book, _I, Claudius_, which appeared on PBS as a mini-
series and was used as a basios for A. E. van Vogt's _Empire of the Atom_
and _Wizard of Linn_ books (which even used Roman currency!).

Graves, howeverr, was a lot more than that.  He did a tremendous fantasy,
_Hercules, My Shipmate_, which recounted the voyage of the _Argo_ so that
Jason could recover the Golden Fleece.  (You say "That's not fantasy; that's
mythology!"  If so, then dump a lot of recognized fantasy, like the Harold
Shea stories).  He did a startling (not to mention blasphemous, but don't
let that stop you from reading it) historical novel biographing Jesus of
Nazareth.  He did a science-fantasy of a man conjured into the future to
see a "new" civilization bared on a return of a matriarchal society based
on Graves' interpretation of the civilization of ancient Crete, complete
with worship of the Earth Mother goddess, called _Watch the North Wind Rise_.

He also wrote _The White Goddess_, which is poetically very interesting, and
rather neopagan, though most anthropologists tend to discount its premises.
Whatever else, Graves had a high-class mind.

He was inactive for more than a decade.  He passed away about a week ago.
I wonder where he ventures now.

Steve Kallis, Jr.