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© 1994-2008 St John's College Robert Graves Trust

The Robert Graves Society

Robert Graves profileThe Robert Graves Society was launched in 1995 during the Robert Graves Centenary Conference at St John's College, Oxford. The object of the Society is to promote interest in, and research on, the life and works of Robert Graves (1895–1985), author of some 140 books of poetry, fiction, biography, criticism, anthropology, social history, mythology, biblical studies, translation, and children's books.

The Society's membership of more than 200 experts and enthusiasts forms the core of an international research community which includes literary scholars, historians, classicists, archaeologists, biblical scholars, bibliographers, editors, writers and translators – besides, of course, general readers.

The Society organises an international conference every two years. Since the 1995 Centenary Conferences in Oxford and Mallorca, the following conferences have been held:

  • 1998: Third International Robert Graves Conference, 'Robert Graves and the White Goddess', University of Manchester, September 1998;
  • 2000: Fourth International Robert Graves Conference, 'Robert Graves in America',
    State University of New York at Buffalo, June 2000;
  • 2002: Fifth International Robert Graves Conference, 'Robert Graves and the Uses of History', The British School at Rome, July 2002;
  • 2004: Sixth International Robert Graves Conference, 'Robert Graves and the Experience of War', University of London Institute in Paris and British Council, Paris, July 2004.
  • 2006: Seventh International Robert Graves Conference, 'Robert Graves and the Art of Collaboration', Palma and Deia, Mallorca, July 2006.
  • To register or submit a paper online for a forthcoming conference, please click here.   

    The Society also publishes the leading journal of Graves studies, Gravesiana. This scholarly journal appears yearly, and is edited by Professor Dunstan Ward and Dr Fran Brearton, of Queen's University, Belfast.

    The first Honorary President of the Robert Graves Society was the poet's widow, Beryl Graves. After her death in 2003, she was succeeded by the eminent political scientist and anthropologist Dr Sally Chilver, Robert Graves's niece. The Honorary Vice-President is Professor John Kelly, of St John's College, Oxford.

    The Officers and Council of the Society are:

    Honorary President

    Dr Sally Chilver

    Formerly Principal, Bedford College, University of London and of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.

    PresidentDunstan Ward

    Dunstan Ward

    University of London Institute in Paris

    11 rue de Constantine
    75340 Paris Cedex 07
    France

    e-mail: dunstanward@yahoo.com

    telephone: +33 1 43 29 33 48

    fax: +33 1 45 50 31 55

    Lucia Graves

    Vice-President (Europe)

    Lucia Graves

    e-mail: luciagraves@aol.com






    Vice-President (the Americas)John Presley

    Professor John Woodrow Presley

    Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

    Illinois State University

    4000 V. P. & Provost's Office
    Hovey Hall 0410
    Normal, IL, 61790 4000
    USA

    e-mail: jwpresl@ilstu.edu

    telephone: +1 (309) 438-7018 

    Secretary/TreasurerPatrick Villa

    Patrick Villa

    50 Ham Green

    Pill

    Bristol BS20 0HB

    UK

    e-mail: pjvilla@aol.com

    telephone: +44 (0) 1275 376 916

    Communications Officer/WebmasterIan Firla

    Dr Ian Firla

    Robert Graves Trust 

    e-mail: ian.firla@gmail.com

    Dr Robert J. Bertholf, State University of New York at Buffalo, USA;

    Professor Paul O'Prey, Roehampton University, England;

    Dr D.N.G. Carter, University of Trieste, Italy;

    Professor Joan Miquel Fiol, University of the Balearics, Spain;

    William Graves;

    Professor Frank Kersnowski, formerly Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, USA;

    Professor Grevel Lindop, formerly University of Manchester, UK;

    Colin Allen, UK;

    Joseph Bailey, UK.