Collected Poems by Philip Larkin
Since there are so few poets from this era, Philip Larkin is the poetic voice of the present. In a classical poetry that avoids all the liberal pandering one finds in other would-be artists of the time, he nails the major themes and angsts of the 1950s and 1960s. Like no other voice, he analyzes the sexual revolution, contemporary literature and music, jazz, and the alienation of contemporary urban society. With the exception of the selections from the North Ship, which are generally considered to represent juvenile literature, Thwaite’s choice is good; he includes all the big poems as well as the majority of the minor ones.
Collected Poems by Philip Larkin
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Nevertheless, there are some noteworthy absences, such as August Schoolroom and Mother, Summer, I, which, despite being puzzling, might be for the better since it makes our Larkin journey incomplete and reveals the wonderful undiscovered poems that await us beyond the horizon! No other poet is quite like Larking or is quite as good in his own way. This compact anthology is a great place to start, but make sure you read after the North Ship selections lest you have the wrong image of the poet.
Since he is regarded as one of the best English poets of the 20th century, Philip Larkin no longer needs to be introduced.
Larkin does not use lace or flowers, thus his poetry might not be to everyone’s taste. His art is typically sombre and conveys the emotions of a man who likely felt as though everything around him—including both his own life and the entire world—was withering away. Through his poems, a man who appears to have bypassed childhood and adolescence is revealed. This man, who is now fifty, appears to have let life pass him by. In his poems, Larkin portrays his bitterness, worries, repressed rage, spite, and general dissatisfaction with modern civilization.
And it accomplishes this in the most expressive manner possible, never hesitating to use the words that seem essential, no matter how obscene they may be. His anguish is very beautiful in many ways.
It is impossible to escape reading Larkin if you have a soft spot for poetry. However, be advised that Larkin doesn’t have much “happy poetry,” so don’t read him to make your life happier. But read him anyway, and then you can decide if you like his writing. On one of those lonely nights when you sense for yourself that something isn’t quite right, he might be exactly what you need. Then, you won’t be able to stay away from a copy of Philip Larkin’s Collected Poems ever again.
