Philip Larkin

Philip Arthur Larkin (August 9, 1922 – December 2, 1985) was an English poet, novelist and jazz critic. One of the most prominent British poets of the second half of the 20th century – he was offered, but declined, the Poet Laureateship following the death of John Betjeman – he spent his working life as a university librarian.

Biography

Larkin was born to Sydney and Eva Larkin in Coventry, a provincial city in the English Midlands.

Related Topics:
Coventry - Midlands

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He was educated at King Henry VIII School in Coventry and St. John's College, Oxford. In late 1943, soon after graduating from Oxford he applied for, and was appointed to, the position of Librarian at Wellington, Shropshire. In 1946, he became Assistant Librarian at the University College, Leicester; in March 1955, he became Librarian at the University of Hull. He remained in this position for most of the rest of his life.

Related Topics:
King Henry VIII School - Coventry - St. John's College, Oxford - 1943 - Wellington, Shropshire - 1946 - University College, Leicester - 1955 - University of Hull

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He never married, preferring to share his life with a number of women – Monica Jones, Maeve Brennan and Betty Mackereth. Monica Jones was a fellow lecturer, Maeve Brennan was a library assistant who was also a strict Roman Catholic, and Betty Mackereth was his secretary.

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