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Collected Poems

Philip Larkin

One of the best-known, best-loved poets of the English-speaking world, Larkin had a relatively small number of poems published during his lifetime. This Collected Poems, which J. D. McClatchy called "a fascinating and indispensable text" in The New York Times Book Review, brings together not only all of Larkin's published verse—The North Ship (1945), the pamphlet of XX Poems (1953), The Less Deceived (1955), The Whitsun Weddings (1964), and High Windows (1974)—but also a vast selection of his uncollected poetry. A brief Introduction by Anthony Thwaite illuminates both the life and verse of this highly perceptive and deeply acerbic poet, a dour yet witty soul whose brilliant writings so often suggest an ongoing conflict between the traditional and the modern.
The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse

The latest reissue of Philip Larkin's new classic anthology includes a Foreword by the poet's biographer, Andrew Motion. Successor to W.B. Yeats's Oxford Book of Modern Verse 1892-1935, The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse ranges widely across this century's verse, introducing many less well-known poets among the acknowledged greats.
Required Writing: Miscellaneous Pieces 1955-1982 (Poets on Poetry)

Philip Larkin

The reappearance of Philip Larkin's Required Writing will be welcomed by the late poet's many readers and admirers. The book's first two parts, "Recollections" and "Interviews," provide autobiographical glimpses of the very private Larkin's childhood, his youth at Oxford, the genesis of his forty-year career as a librarian, and the influences that initially steered his poetry.
The second half of the book reflects Larkin's literary standards and opinions in often witty and surprising, always beautifully wrought, essays and reviews. His subjects range from Emily Dickinson (were her first lines her best?) to the contemporary mystery novel. Required Writing concludes with a selection of pieces on jazz music.
"Larkin is a punctilious, honest critic. He prefers good clear writing to pretentious eyewash; he prefers tunes to discordant wailing; and he prefers home to abroad. Unlike the majority of critics, he is clear-sighted enough to say so." --A. N. Wilson, Sunday Telegraph
"I read the collection with growing excitement, agreement and admiration. It is the best contemporary account of the writer's true aims I have encountered." --John Mortimer, Sunday Times (London)
"Subtle, supple, craftily at ease, Required Writing is on a par with Larkin's poetry--which is just about as high as praise can go." --Clive James, Observer
Philip Larkin was the author of poetry collections, including High Windows, The Whitsun Weddings, and The Less Deceived; a book of essays entitled All What Jazz: A Record Diary; and two novels, Jill, and A Girl in Winter, published early in his career. Required Reading was originally published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Further Requirements: Interviews, Broadcasts, Statements and Book Reviews, 1952-85 (Poets on Poetry)

Philip Larkin

Collects a wide range of writing by this witty and astute British poet, including commentary on a diverse list of authors
High Windows

Philip Larkin
The "Whitsun Weddings" and Selected Poems (York Notes Advanced)

Philip Larkin
Selected Letters of Philip Larkin, 1940-1985

Philip Larkin

These letters throw light on a more complex figure than most readers will probably be expecting. Whether addressing his literary friends, who included Barbara Pym, Kingsley Amis and John Betjeman, or those less prominently placed, Larkin shows himself to be a frank and generous letter-writer. Confessions, jokes, advice, scurrilities, pronouncements on literature and jazz, impromptu verses, published here for the first time, gossip and wisdom abound in these pages. They offer a view of a poet's progress from brash youth to rueful age, and in complementing the poems, provide a biographical document for the serious reader.
The Whitsun Weddings

Philip Larkin
Early Poems and Juvenilia

Philip Larkin

Larkin's Collected Poems has become essential reading on any bookshelf, covering his four published volumes The North Ship (1945), The Less Deceived (1955), The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). But Larkin was a prolific writer in his youth, and wrote over two hundred and fifty poems in the years leading up to his first collection. Drawing on the pamphlets, manuscripts and workbooks from 1938 to 1946, the Early Poems reveals, for the first time, the formative writings and literary origins of this most gifted of poets.
The North Ship

Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin Poetry (Poet to Poet: An Essential Choice of Classic Verse)

Philip Larkin