The quarrel within ourselves - Andrew Motion

In the last part of his life Philip Larkin (1922-1985) became the best-loved poet in the country. In spite, and because, of his reputation as "the hermit of Hull", he was almost universally admired for the formal elegance of his constructions, the memorable beauty of his phrasing, and the candour of his gaze. The terms in which he was praised made him sound like a bleaker Betjeman (whose work he had always promoted). He told his readers difficult truths about their lives - love will fade, chances will be missed, death will surely come - but he did so in a way which was oddly consoling in its honesty. [to continue click on the heading]