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Philip Larkin: Life and Legacy

Philip Larkin was born in 1922 in Coventry, England. He studied at Oxford University and became a librarian, working at universities in Wellington, Leicester, and Hull. Larkin published several volumes of poetry over his career including The North Ship, The Less Deceived, and The Whitsun Weddings. He declined the position of Poet Laureate in 1984. Larkin never married but had romantic relationships. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1985 and died later that year at the age of 63.

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723 views1 page

Philip Larkin: Life and Legacy

Philip Larkin was born in 1922 in Coventry, England. He studied at Oxford University and became a librarian, working at universities in Wellington, Leicester, and Hull. Larkin published several volumes of poetry over his career including The North Ship, The Less Deceived, and The Whitsun Weddings. He declined the position of Poet Laureate in 1984. Larkin never married but had romantic relationships. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1985 and died later that year at the age of 63.

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  • Philip Larkin Biography: This page provides a brief biography of Philip Larkin, highlighting his life, career, and significant publications, along with links for further reading.

Philip Arthur Larkin

He was born in 1922 in Coventry, England, as the only son of Sydney and Eva Larkin. He had a
sister Kitty. His father, who was a City Treasurer, introduced him to the world of literature: Ezra
Pound, [Link], and James Joyce. He was home-educated by his mother and sister.
Later he joined King Henry VIII School. He had deep passion for jazz was supported by his parents:
drum-kit and saxophone.
He went to St. Johns College, Oxford in 1940 where his closest friend was Kingsley Amis. The first
of his poems to be published in a national weekly was Ultimatum in the same year. He was able to
finish his studies: was not admitted to the army because of his poor eyesight and graduated in 1943
with First Class Honours in English.
After graduating, Larkin lived with his parents for a while, before being appointed Librarian at
Wellington, Shropshire. Here, he studied to qualify as a professional librarian.
In 1945 his first volume The North Ship was published. This volume showed the influence of W.B.
Yeats, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden.
Two novels, Jill and A Girl in Winter were published in 1946 and 1947.
In 1946, Larkin became assistant Librarian at the University College of Leicester. He completed his
professional studies and became an Associate of the Library Association in 1949. In 1950, he became
Sub-Librarian at Queens University, Belfast.
In 1955 Larkin became University Librarian at the University of Hull, and stayed in the post until his
death. In the same year, his second collection of poems The Less Deceived was released. In this
volume Larkins mature works were published, showing the influence of Thomas Hardy.
The Whitsun Weddings was published in 1964.
Larking also wrote monthly reviews of jack recordings for the Daily Telegraph. He also edited the
Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse, which was published in 1973.
His last collection High Windows was published in 1974, and confirmed him as one of the finest
poets in English Literary history. This was his last volume to be published.
In December of 1984 he was offered the position of Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom but
declined.
Although he had several love affairs and romantic relationships with women, he never married.
In early 1985 Larkin was diagnosed with cancer. His condition became worse very fast.
Philip Larkin died of cancer at 1.24 a.m. on Monday December 2 1985. He was 63 years old.

Important Awards: Order of the British Empire (CBE); Queens Gold Medal for Poetry; Order of the
Companion of Honour; Honorary Fellow of the Library Association; Companion of Literature

Sources:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]

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