Philip Larkin at 100
Writers reflect on the poet’s life, work and legacy, a century after his birth.
Larkin at 100
Reflections on the poet’s life, work and legacy, 100 years after his birth
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Larkin at 100
How Larkin’s stammer may have helped him find his voice
As a child, he couldn’t even ask for a railway ticket. Could the clarity of his poems have emerged from…
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How Philip Larkin saved my life
I was a panicky teenager with a chaotic home life, but the profound clarity of his poems showed me a…
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Why spend one’s life in fear of death? Larkin had no answer
Larkin argues that those who don’t fear death are deluding themselves, but as I age I realise that he misses…
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Love, sex, work, death – Larkin has a quote for that
He had a gift for wisecracks, but the poet’s best lines come from a search for wisdom and authenticity.
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In 1971, I felt Larkin was speaking directly to me
His voice was not “poetic” but calm, clear, melodic and witty – and it inspired in me a sense of…
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In his take-downs of jazz greats, Larkin‘s humour shines
His wit is on fully display in his riotously funny criticism – but it also comes through in his poems,…
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Wordplay, friendship, and sweet sadness: having Philip Larkin to stay
One evening in Norfolk in 1982, we discussed everything from his penchant for macaroni cheese to his poetic legacy.
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Philip Larkin is a love poet who doesn’t trust love
He offers an uncensored picture of a damaged and unhappy sensibility – but leaves us with the possibility of hope.
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Unlike most poets, Philip Larkin dared to be mean
People rarely moved him to sentiments of kindness but one senses that he wished they would.
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Is there room for people like me in Larkin’s England?
His poems ignored Britain’s postwar diversity and dynamism, and his racist language challenged my love of his craft.
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