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

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.
ByHe offers an uncensored picture of a damaged and unhappy sensibility – but leaves us with the possibility of hope.
ByPeople rarely moved him to sentiments of kindness but one senses that he wished they would.
ByHis poems ignored Britain’s postwar diversity and dynamism, and his racist language challenged my love of his craft.
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