I bought this slender book at a sale in 2019, apparently. I’m pretty sure I got Larkin confused with somebody else, or that I just liked the name — I certainly didn’t know anything about him. But the reason I’m finally reading the book is because I read an interview with Larkin in an old issue of The Paris Review, and he came off as a bit of an asshole.
So naturally I wanted to see what his poetry was like.
Well… OK, I can see why they wanted him to become the poet laureate after the previous one died. (He refused, I think?) These poems seem very… er… I mean, they’re good, but they’re probably also awesome to teach in school? They’re straightforward and leave a lot to be interpreted at the same time.
This one about reading habits as we age is probably an excellent teaching tool, for instance — it’s witty and acerbic… and doesn’t scare any horses.
What I’m saying is that these poems aren’t surprising coming from that slightly assholish guy in that interview.
But I mean, they’re pretty good? They’re fine. I’m a poetry expert.
The Whitsun Weddings (1964) by Philip Larkin (buy used, 3.9 on Goodreads)