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Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist and jazz critic. He was offered the Poet Laureateship following the death of John Betjeman, but declined the post. He spent his working life as a university librarian.
Life
Larkin was born to Sydney and Eva Larkin in Coventry, a provincial city in the English Midlands. He was educated at King Henry VIII School in Coventry, and St. John's College, Oxford, where he met Kingsley Amis, a lifelong friend and frequent correspondent. In late 1943, soon after graduating from Oxford, he applied for, and was appointed to, the position of municipal librarian at Wellington, Shropshire. In 1946, he became assistant librarian at the University College, Leicester (Kingsley Amis got his idea for Lucky Jim on visiting Larkin and seeing the common room of Leicester University). In March 1955, he became librarian at the University of Hull, a position in which he remained until his death. He never married, preferring to share his life with a number of women – Monica Jones (a fellow lecturer), Maeve Brennan (a library assistant) and Betty Mackereth (his secretary).
Career
Larkin's early work shows the influence of Yeats, but his later poetic identity was influenced mainly by Thomas Hardy. He is well-known for his use of the colloquial in his poetry, partly balanced by a similarly antique word choice. With fine use of enjambement and rhyme, his poetry is highly structured, but never rigid. Death was a recurring theme and subject of his poetry, "Aubade" being an example of this. The Less Deceived, published in 1955, marked Larkin as an up-and-coming poet. He was for a time associated with The Movement. More on [ Philip Larkin ]
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Coventry and Warwickshire Network: Philip Larkin - A timeline of Philip Larkin's life and works.
Meta Description: [ Philip Larkin ]
Guardian Unlimited: A fanfare for the common man - Andrew Motion on Philip Larkin.
Guardian Unlimited: Obituary: Maeve Brennan - The woman Philip Larkin nearly married, and a profound influence on his work.
Guardian Unlimited: Obituary: Monica Jones - Philip Larkin's muse and mistress, over four decades she was an inspiring - if idiosyncratic - university lecturer in English.
High Windows and Four-Letter Words - A discussion of the role of four-letter words, with reference to Philip Larkin's later verse.
Meta Description: [ An article by Stephen Burt from Boston Review, October/November 1996 ]
Just let me put this bastard on the skids - A review of Andrew Motions life of Larkin, by Christopher Carduff in the New Criterion.
Meta Description: [ “Just let me put his bastard on the skids”: Andrew Motion’s Philip Larkin / by Christopher Carduff ]
Larkin's Predicament - A detailed article about Larkin's poetry, at the University of Cologne in Germany.
Maeve Brennan dies - Feature on Maeve Brennan, lover of Philip Larkin, and deputy chairman of the Larkin Society, who died on June 11 2003.
Philip Larkin - An Academy of American Poets poetry exhibit, including a brief biography of Larkin and a selected bibliography.
Philip Larkin at the University of Hull - Brief biography of Larkin, and bibliography.
Philip Larkin Biography - The site provides a nice over view of his works, his lifes, and his membership of The Movement
Poetry Resources on Larkin - Brief biography, with external links to some of his popular poetry.
The Philip Larkin Society - Includes articles about Philip Larkin's life and works, membership information and a Poem of the Month.
Meta Description: [ The home of The Philip
Larkin Society, including application form for membership. ]
Wounded by Un-Shrapnel - An article by James Fenton from The New York Review of Books (April 12, 2001) discussing Larkin's life and works.
Meta Description: [ Preview of an article by James Fenton from The New York Review of Books, April 12, 2001 ]
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