Philip Arthur Larkin was born in Coventry in 1922 and spent most of his adult life in a role that might catch those familiar only with his poetry off guard: working as a librarian. He managed the Brynmor Jones Library at the University of Hull from 1955 until he passed away in 1985, taking the position seriously and transforming it into a respected research institution. His day job and poetry influenced each other in ways that are difficult to separate. The long hours, the provincial environment, and the feeling of being slightly outside the mainstream — all these elements are reflected in his work.
Larkin began publishing early. *The North Ship* was released in 1945 when he was just twenty-two, and it bears the strong influence of W. B. Yeats — rich, romantic, and somewhat overdone. Larkin later expressed embarrassment about it, which makes sense when considering what he produced next. He followed with two novels — *Jill* (1946) and *A Girl in Winter* (1947) — both of which are quiet, precise, and underrated. Then came a lengthy silence until *The Less Deceived* in 1955, which marked the arrival of a different poet: dry, clear-eyed, formally controlled, and refreshingly honest about disappointment, death, and the nuances of everyday English life.
“*The Whitsun Weddings* (1964) and *High Windows* (1974) solidified his reputation.”
By the time *High Windows* was released, he was widely regarded as the best living English poet, a title he accepted with typical discomfort. He declined the Poet Laureateship in 1984, the year before his death, after it was offered following John Betjeman's passing. He believed the role would stifle what remained of his writing, and considering his limited output in his final decade, he likely had a valid point.
In addition to his poetry, Larkin wrote jazz criticism for *The Daily Telegraph* from 1961 to 1971 — later compiled in *All What Jazz* (1985) — and edited *The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse* (1973), a collection that sparked significant debate due to its unapologetic preference for accessibility over experimentation. He was openly skeptical of modernism, and this anthology reflected that stance. Critics who admired Eliot and Pound were not pleased.
