Major achievement - Poet / Writer

BORN: - 9th August 1922 in Coventry (the same year as Kingsley Amis and Donald Davis who were later associated with him in the group that came to be known as "the Movement"- the dominant literary voice of the 1950's).

DIED: - 2nd December 1985 of cancer of the oesophagus.

FAMILY: - Philip Larkin was the eldest son of Sydney Larkin, the city treasurer of Coventry between the years of 1922-44.

EDUCATION: - King Henry VIII, King Henry VIII 6th form , St. Johns College, Oxford.

CAREER: -

1940: - St. Johns College, Oxford.

1943: - Larkin failed an eyesight test for the Army and therefore began an English degree at St. Johns College, Oxford. He took a First Class degree in 1943. 1st poem “Ultimatum” published in “The Listener”. Although he had a poem (Winter Nocturne) published in The Coventrian, the school magazine, in December 1938 when he was 16.

1943: - In June Larkin left Oxford and returned to Coventry where he applied for jobs. Considered medically unfit to fight he began work as a librarian in Wellington Shropshire.

1945: - Poems published in “Poetry From Oxford In Wartime”. “Jill”(Novel) was completed.

1945: - “The North Ship” (Poetry) Published in July

1946: - “Jill” (Novel) published by Fortune Press London. “Jill” follows a young scholarship boy from the North of England’s first term at Oxford.

1947: - “A Girl in Winter” (Novel) published by Faber. This was written to reflect his experiences as a Librarian.

1945 - 50: - All of Larkins novels written failed.

1950: - Larkin moved to Belfast to be one of two sub-librarians at Queens University. He stayed until 1955.

1951: - All of Larkin’s poems (XX Poems) were privately printed and sent to critics. All were ignored, as the predominant style was not yet accepted, but then again it could have been because he didn’t put the correct value of stamps on the envelopes!

1954: - Larkin published “Pamphlet 21” as part of a series named “Fantasy Press” which contained poems to appear the following year in “The Less Deceived”.

1955: - Went to the University of Hull as Librarian.

1955: - Larkin’s 3rd collection of poems was published. “The Less Deceived” (Poetry) was published.

1964: - “The Whitsun Weddings” (Poetry) was published.

1965: - Larkin was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.

1970: - “All what Jazz“ was published. This is a compilation of Jazz record reviews collected in book form written for the Daily Telegraph between 1960-68.

1973: - “The Less Deceived” sold ten thousand copies!

1974: - “High Windows” a collection of poems was printed.

1983: - “Required Writing” published by Faber. This is a mixture of literary criticism, interviews and Jazz criticism.

1985: - Larkin was admitted to hospital with an illness in his throat. No more information was disclosed by the hospital. Later the same year, Larkin was moved to the intensive care ward at Hull Royal Infirmary. Then on the 2nd of December Philip Larkin died of what proved to be cancer of the oesophagus.