Philip Larkin

Philip Larkin (1922-1985), noted British poet, novelist and critic, born in Coventry, England, and educated at the University of Oxford. He treats the modern English setting in a withdrawn and nonsentimental manner, but often with considerable feeling. His works include The North Ship (1945), a collection of verse in the style of W. B. Yeats; The Less Deceived (1955), which established Larkin as a fine anti-romantic poet of great wit, sophistication, and compassion; and High Windows (1974), in which many poems reflect Larkin's concerns about death. His novels, Jill (1946) and A Girl in Winter (1947), demonstrate Larkin's sensitivity and versatility. Larkin was also a jazz critic; his jazz essays are collected in All What Jazz: A Record Diary 1961-68 (1970). Required Writing (1982) is a volume of miscellaneous essays.