Philip Larkin at 100
Writers reflect on the poet’s life, work and legacy, a century after his birth.

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and culture since 1913
Reflections on the poet’s life, work and legacy, 100 years after his birth
Writers reflect on the poet’s life, work and legacy, a century after his birth.
As a child, he couldn’t even ask for a railway ticket. Could the clarity of his poems have emerged from…
ByI was a panicky teenager with a chaotic home life, but the profound clarity of his poems showed me a…
ByLarkin argues that those who don’t fear death are deluding themselves, but as I age I realise that he misses…
ByHe had a gift for wisecracks, but the poet’s best lines come from a search for wisdom and authenticity.
ByHis voice was not “poetic” but calm, clear, melodic and witty – and it inspired in me a sense of…
ByHis wit is on fully display in his riotously funny criticism – but it also comes through in his poems,…
ByOne evening in Norfolk in 1982, we discussed everything from his penchant for macaroni cheese to his poetic legacy.
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