Philip Larkin

For another English class I am taking, we have a project on an English poet and I choose Philip Larkin. He was a prominent writer in post war England, and worked as a professional librarian for more than 40 years. He was born August 9th, 1922 and died December 2nd, 1985. He was offered the position of Poet Laureate in 1984 but declined. Here is a poem of his: 

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.   

    They may not mean to, but they do.   

They fill you with the faults they had

    And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn

    By fools in old-style hats and coats,   

Who half the time were soppy-stern

    And half at one another’s throats.

Man hands on misery to man.

    It deepens like a coastal shelf.

Get out as early as you can,

    And don’t have any kids yourself.  

As you can see, his style is a darker English. This poem is called This Be The Verse. It was written in April of 1971 and published in August of that year. I like that the poem uses everyday language, it allowed me to relate to it more.