This novel is quite simply sublime. The author narrates an ‘auto-bi-fantasy’, detailing his life as he grows up in the orbit of his ‘Grand’-uncle, Robert Graves in Majorca. If you’ve had the pleasure of reading the work of Graves, you will be aware of his ability to transport the reader to any place of his choosing, Gough also has this skill. The island of Majorca is brought wondrously to life, you are dared not to fall in love with the colour, the heat, the noise, the people, the life of the place. Ten year old Simon on his first visit, absorbs the magic of his ‘Grand’-Uncle, the draw, the utter fascination of the man and vows to return. Gough describes comedic moments to make you laugh out loud, coming of age love to make your heart ache and divided loyalties enough to make your head spin. A wonderfully compelling novel highlighting the world of a poet, his muse and those who alternately suffer or bask in their glory. ~ Liz Robinson
When 10-year-old Simon Gough went to Majorca in 1953 he thought he had landed in paradise. Far from the misery of his English boarding school and his parents' divorce, he fell in love - with the tiny village of Deya, with his wild cousin Juan and most of all with his beloved 'Grand-Uncle' Robert. When he returned in 1960, paradise had been overrun by beatniks and marijuana - and Simon liked it all the more. But soon he fell for the enchanting Margot Callas, Robert Graves' muse. He found himself entangled in a web of lies and deceit and playing a game whose rules he didn't understand. The repercussions would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Extraordinary... a dangerous,mythic tale of love and worship - Libby Purves, BBC Radio 4
An unsparing account of a golden summer and a world torn apart - The Guardian
Impassioned, with all the intensive drama a youthful affair entails. A tender, Observant record - The Observer
A book that reads at a gallop, with real joy in the descriptions... Gough makes the case for poets as necessary lightning rods for our passions - The Independent
Gorgeous, preposterous and captivating... Gough is Thomas Mann-like in his ability to pull you in - The TLS
Author
About Simon Gough
The only child of the actor Michael Gough and actress-cum-journalist Diana Graves, SimonGough was born in 1942. He was brought up in France, Italy and Spain by a number of surrogate parents, as well as his own, and spent much of his childhood in brutal boarding establishments until he was finally expelled from his last school for trying to blow it up. He has revelled in freedom ever since - and in changes of career, from washing up to writing for the BBC, to acting, to selling the finest antiquarian books in London and Norfolk,(at which he excelled by accepting a modest loss on every volume sold). The White Goddess: An Encounter is the first of two books concerning the extraordinary events surrounding his relationship with his great-uncle Robert Graves; the second is nearing completion.