Philip Larkin author page

Philip Larkin biography

Philip Larkin was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. He published two novels, Jill (1946) and A Girl in Winter (1947), before gaining recognition as a poet. His first major poetry collection, The Less Deceived, appeared in 1955. This was followed by The Whitsun Weddings in 1964 and High Windows in 1974. Larkin’s poetry is noted for its formal control and focus on everyday life.

Larkin worked as a librarian at the University of Hull from 1955 until his retirement. He edited The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse, published in 1973. His collected poems were published posthumously in 1988.

Larkin received several literary honours, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 1965. In 1984, he was offered the position of Poet Laureate, which he declined. In 2008, The Times named him Britain’s greatest post-war writer. His poetry collection The Whitsun Weddings was shortlisted for the 1964 Duff Cooper Prize.

Philip Larkin’s Collected Poems was published by Faber and Faber in 1988.