283:
was beginning to find out what life was about, and that's precisely what I found in Hardy. In other words, I'm saying that what I like about him primarily is his temperament and the way he sees life. He's not a transcendental writer, he's not a Yeats, he's not an Eliot; his subjects are men, the life of men, time and the passing of time, love and the fading of love... When I came to Hardy it was with the sense of relief that I didn't have to try and jack myself up to a concept of poetry that lay outside my own life -- this is perhaps what I felt Yeats was trying to make me do. One could simply relapse back into one's own life and write from it. Hardy taught one to feel rather than to write -- of course one has to use one's own language and one's own jargon and one's own situations -- and he taught one as well to have confidence in what one felt. I have come, I think, to admire him even more than I did then."
279:/ What loads my hands down?", presage the helplessness, the dread of the atrophying of emotion, the despair, and the magnetic terror of death in the poems that follow. These are Larkin's most persistent themes. Throughout the collection, the feeling of diminishment and loss is pervasive, whether in the visit of a cyclist to a church in the volume's best known poem, "Church Going," or in the alienation of the speaker looking at a photograph of a young lady, or in the man in "Toads" beaten by work into an imprisonment he then wills, or even in the "I" who "starts to be happy" when light strikes on the "foreheads" of houses. "Beneath it all," ends the poem "Wants," "desire of oblivion runs." This desire for death simultaneously horrifies and allures.
27:
278:
The first poem in it, chronologically, to be written was "Going," of
February 1946. It is about death, and, according to Andrew Motion, is the kind of poem for which Larkin "is so often regarded as an unrelievedly pessimistic poet" Its concluding lines, "What is under my hands, / That I cannot feel?
282:
Philip Larkin said on more than one occasion that his discovery of Thomas Hardy's poetry was a turning point in the writing of his own poetry: "I don't think Hardy, as a poet, is a poet for young people. I know it sounds ridiculous to say I wasn't young at twenty-five or twenty-six, but at least I
131:
243:, which Larkin mailed to literary critics and authors. Larkin was unaware that postal rates had gone up, and most recipients, when asked to pay the difference for delivery of a pamphlet by a little-known writer, turned them away; only around 100 copies were printed.
266:, the book through the depth of its appeal, the formal skill of its verse, and its consistent striking of Larkin's distinctive tone gained wide readership. By the end of 1955
726:
734:
775:
254:
and immediately went through several impressions. Put out by The
Marvell Press, a small operation run by George Hartley and his wife
564:
536:
Philip Larkin, "The Poetry of Hardy," in
Required Writing: Miscellaneous Pieces 1955-1982 (Faber and Faber 1983), pages 175-176.
91:
63:
452:
814:
484:"The Whitsun Weddings: First Editions & Rare Books by Philip Larkin. Peter Harrington Rare & First Edition Books"
70:
246:
Despite this setback, 13 of the 20 poems, together with 16 new poems, were finally published to much acclaim in 1955 as
521:
44:
110:
819:
77:
752:
388:
48:
59:
650:
557:
409:
809:
781:
631:
263:
37:
550:
84:
765:
604:
212:
483:
239:(1945) from The Fortune Press and a privately printed collection, a small pamphlet titled
8:
671:
517:
448:
787:
718:
513:
758:
692:
657:
588:
199:
803:
573:
228:
144:
710:
612:
334:
255:
678:
664:
770:
26:
270:
was recognized as one of the outstanding collections of the year.
130:
542:
685:
259:
232:
162:
430:
Poet in
Transition: Philip Larkin's "XX Poems" Roger Bowen,
447:. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 354.
51:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
727:The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse
250:, which was selected as a book of the year by the
507:
801:
558:
735:Selected Letters of Philip Larkin, 1940–1985
776:Relationships that influenced Philip Larkin
461:
565:
551:
129:
235:, having been preceded by the derivative
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
470:Philip Larkin, the Marvell Press, and Me
292:Lines on a Young Lady's Photograph Album
467:
442:
802:
407:
546:
510:Philip Larkin : A Writer's Life
49:adding citations to reliable sources
20:
408:Larkin, Philip (22 December 1966).
13:
508:Sir Andrew Motion (7 March 1994).
16:Poetry collection by Philip Larkin
14:
831:
572:
25:
227:, first published in 1955, was
36:needs additional citations for
753:List of poems by Philip Larkin
530:
501:
476:
436:
424:
401:
389:List of poems by Philip Larkin
231:'s first mature collection of
1:
394:
7:
382:
10:
836:
815:English poetry collections
410:"The Less Deceived: Poems"
273:
745:
702:
642:
623:
580:
420:– via Google Books.
252:Times Literary Supplement
207:
194:
186:Published in English
184:
176:
168:
158:
150:
140:
128:
443:Burnett, Archie (2012).
286:
820:Poetry by Philip Larkin
782:Mr Larkin's Awkward Day
472:. Manchester: Carcanet.
624:Posthumous collections
468:Hartley, Jean (1989).
360:I Remember, I Remember
304:Reasons for Attendance
766:Philip Larkin Society
488:Peterharrington.co.uk
790:(juvenile pseudonym)
651:The Whitsun Weddings
605:The Whitsun Weddings
375:Arrivals, Departures
348:Poetry of Departures
213:The Whitsun Weddings
45:improve this article
125:
60:"The Less Deceived"
703:Other publications
581:Poetry collections
445:The Complete Poems
325:Whatever Happened?
298:Places, Loved Ones
124:The Less Deceived
123:
810:1955 poetry books
797:
796:
672:This Be The Verse
597:The Less Deceived
514:Faber & Faber
454:978-374-0-12696-4
268:The Less Deceived
248:The Less Deceived
224:The Less Deceived
220:
219:
177:Publication place
172:The Marvell Press
121:
120:
113:
95:
827:
788:Brunette Coleman
719:A Girl in Winter
567:
560:
553:
544:
543:
537:
534:
528:
527:
505:
499:
498:
496:
494:
480:
474:
473:
465:
459:
458:
440:
434:
428:
422:
421:
419:
417:
405:
208:Followed by
195:Preceded by
133:
126:
122:
116:
109:
105:
102:
96:
94:
53:
29:
21:
835:
834:
830:
829:
828:
826:
825:
824:
800:
799:
798:
793:
759:Larkin at Sixty
741:
698:
658:An Arundel Tomb
638:
635:(1988 and 2003)
632:Collected Poems
619:
576:
571:
541:
540:
535:
531:
524:
506:
502:
492:
490:
482:
481:
477:
466:
462:
455:
441:
437:
432:The Iowa Review
429:
425:
415:
413:
412:. Marvell Press
406:
402:
397:
385:
289:
276:
187:
136:
117:
106:
100:
97:
54:
52:
42:
30:
17:
12:
11:
5:
833:
823:
822:
817:
812:
795:
794:
792:
791:
785:
778:
773:
768:
763:
755:
749:
747:
743:
742:
740:
739:
731:
723:
715:
706:
704:
700:
699:
697:
696:
689:
682:
675:
668:
661:
654:
646:
644:
640:
639:
637:
636:
627:
625:
621:
620:
618:
617:
609:
601:
593:
589:The North Ship
584:
582:
578:
577:
570:
569:
562:
555:
547:
539:
538:
529:
523:978-0571170654
522:
500:
475:
460:
453:
435:
423:
399:
398:
396:
393:
392:
391:
384:
381:
380:
379:
376:
373:
370:
369:If, My Darling
367:
364:
361:
358:
355:
352:
349:
346:
343:
340:
337:
332:
329:
326:
323:
322:Born Yesterday
320:
317:
314:
311:
308:
305:
302:
299:
296:
293:
288:
285:
275:
272:
264:East Yorkshire
218:
217:
209:
205:
204:
200:The North Ship
196:
192:
191:
188:
185:
182:
181:
180:United Kingdom
178:
174:
173:
170:
166:
165:
160:
156:
155:
152:
148:
147:
142:
138:
137:
134:
119:
118:
33:
31:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
832:
821:
818:
816:
813:
811:
808:
807:
805:
789:
786:
784:
783:
779:
777:
774:
772:
769:
767:
764:
761:
760:
756:
754:
751:
750:
748:
744:
737:
736:
732:
729:
728:
724:
721:
720:
716:
713:
712:
708:
707:
705:
701:
694:
690:
687:
683:
680:
676:
673:
669:
666:
662:
659:
655:
652:
648:
647:
645:
641:
634:
633:
629:
628:
626:
622:
615:
614:
610:
607:
606:
602:
599:
598:
594:
591:
590:
586:
585:
583:
579:
575:
574:Philip Larkin
568:
563:
561:
556:
554:
549:
548:
545:
533:
525:
519:
515:
511:
504:
489:
485:
479:
471:
464:
456:
450:
446:
439:
433:
427:
411:
404:
400:
390:
387:
386:
377:
374:
371:
368:
365:
362:
359:
356:
353:
350:
347:
344:
341:
338:
336:
333:
330:
327:
324:
321:
318:
315:
312:
309:
306:
303:
300:
297:
294:
291:
290:
284:
280:
271:
269:
265:
261:
257:
253:
249:
244:
242:
238:
234:
230:
229:Philip Larkin
226:
225:
216:
214:
210:
206:
203:
201:
197:
193:
189:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
164:
161:
157:
153:
149:
146:
145:Philip Larkin
143:
139:
135:First edition
132:
127:
115:
112:
104:
101:December 2009
93:
90:
86:
83:
79:
76:
72:
69:
65:
62: –
61:
57:
56:Find sources:
50:
46:
40:
39:
34:This article
32:
28:
23:
22:
19:
780:
757:
733:
725:
717:
709:
630:
613:High Windows
611:
603:
596:
595:
587:
532:
509:
503:
491:. Retrieved
487:
478:
469:
463:
444:
438:
431:
426:
414:. Retrieved
403:
335:Church Going
310:Next, Please
295:Wedding-Wind
281:
277:
267:
256:Jean Hartley
251:
247:
245:
240:
236:
223:
222:
221:
211:
198:
107:
98:
88:
81:
74:
67:
55:
43:Please help
38:verification
35:
18:
493:22 December
416:22 December
366:Latest Face
351:Triple Time
342:Myxomatosis
319:Maiden Name
804:Categories
665:Mr Bleaney
395:References
357:Deceptions
237:North Ship
71:newspapers
771:Larkin 25
307:Dry-Point
169:Publisher
695:" (1977)
688:" (1964)
681:" (1964)
674:" (1974)
667:" (1955)
660:" (1964)
653:" (1964)
383:See also
378:At Grass
363:Absences
241:XX Poems
151:Language
746:Related
328:No Road
274:History
154:English
85:scholar
762:(1982)
738:(1992)
730:(1973)
722:(1947)
714:(1946)
693:Aubade
686:MCMXIV
616:(1974)
608:(1964)
600:(1955)
592:(1945)
520:
451:
354:Spring
301:Coming
260:Hessle
233:poetry
215:
202:
163:Poetry
141:Author
87:
80:
73:
66:
58:
643:Poems
345:Toads
331:Wires
316:Wants
313:Going
287:Poems
159:Genre
92:JSTOR
78:books
711:Jill
679:Days
518:ISBN
495:2017
449:ISBN
418:2017
372:Skin
190:1955
64:news
339:Age
258:in
47:by
806::
516:.
512:.
486:.
262:,
691:"
684:"
677:"
670:"
663:"
656:"
649:"
566:e
559:t
552:v
526:.
497:.
457:.
114:)
108:(
103:)
99:(
89:·
82:·
75:·
68:·
41:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
