Philip Larkin

20th century English poet and jazz critic (1922-1985).

Attended St. John's College, Oxford after graduating from King Henry VIII School in Coventry, where he was born to Sydney and Eva Larkin.

Soon after graduation he applied for, and won, the position of Librarian at Wellington, in Shropshire, in late 1943. In 1946, Larkin became Assistant Librarian at the University College of Leicester; in March of 1955, he became Librarian at the University of Hull. He remained in this position for most of the rest of his life.

Reclusive librarian for many years. His early work shows the influence especially of Yeats, although he found his own voice as time passed.

Well-known for his use of slang and coarse language in his poetry, partly balanced by a similarly antique word choice. Good use of enjambent and rhyme; his poetry is very structured.

Largely responsible for the current status of Thomas Hardy, poet, due to Larkin's editing of [[Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse]].

The Less Deceived, published in 1955, marked Larkin as an up-and-coming poet; 1964's The Whitsun Weddings confirmed this reputation. The title poem is a masterful depiction of the sights from a train one Whitsun; though this description does the poem little justice. High Windows, released in 1974, still stands as one of the greatest books of 20th Century British poetry.

Poems include:

Churchgoing

Aubade

Ambulances

A Study of Reading Habits

The Whitsun Weddings

This Be The Verse ("They fuck you up, your mum and dad")

Link: http://www.philiplarkin.com/