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Product Description
Product Description
The appearance of Philip Larkin's second prose collection - reviews and critical assessments of writers and writing; pieces on jazz, mostly uncollected; some long, revealing and often highly entertaining interviews given on various occasions - was a considerable literary event. Stamped by wit, originality and intelligence, it was vintage Larkin throughout:
'Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth.'
'I see life more as an affair of solitude diversified by company than as an affair of company diversified by solitude.'
Q. 'How did you arrive upon the image of a toad for work or labour?'
A. 'Sheer genius.'
About the Author
Philip Larkin was born in Coventry in 1922 and was educated at King Henry VIII School, Coventry, and St John's College, Oxford. As well as his volumes of poems, which include The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows, he wrote two novels, Jill and A Girl in Winter, and two books of collected journalism: All What Jazz: A Record Library, and Required Writing: Miscellaneous Prose. He worked as a librarian at the University of Hull from 1955 until his death in 1985. He was the best-loved poet of his generation, and the recipient of innumerable honours, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry, and the WHSmith Award.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Now republished by Faber & Faber (no doubt as a result of the tremendous popularity of the late great poet, as well as Mr Thwaite's excellent companion selection "Further Requirements"), this collective was infact Larkin's own selection from the mounds of his writings. Many found here were originally introductions to works published, interviews given, and essays undertaken - all in great demand in 1982 and now! "Required Writing" contains the excellent introduction to "Jill" - Larkin's first attempt at a novel - what is excellent is the insight to life in Oxford during the second world war. Other worthy items include a superior analysis of the 'real' Wilfred Owen - war poet of the Great War (who died in action just days before the end of the 1914-18 conflict); Larkin's early years as a Librarian; and titbits on Betjeman and other contempories. "Required Writing" as with the recent Thwaite collective, also lays to rest questions of Larkin's interpersonal karmas; views of establishments; and outlines his reluctance to conform to a changing world, preferring a reclusive style of profession and social existance so apt for a writer during the period. I recommend this book without reservation.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Philip Larkin was one of the best Poet Laureates we never had. Not becoming Poet Laureate was his own choice; the post was offered but he declined. It is also Larkin's own doing that he has a reputation, not justified, as something of a `miserable old git'. Yes, he was a private man; a man of sensitivities that as one of his generation and professional status he thought best concealed; and when those sensitivities burst out through his poems, conferring celebrity status, he raised a number of defensive barriers, one of which was the pretence of a thoroughly dull personal and interior life.
In truth there was a wealth of friendships, correspondences and shared holidays, as well as a very full involvement in his work as a university librarian and in the librarians' professional association. He also sustained a deep interest in his own writing, and that of a wide range of classic and other writers of poetry and prose. This volume attests to that, provides us with much information about his early years (albeit with the complete omission of any possible titillation), and reveals a number of surprising enthusiasms.
Because the writing collected in the book was produced in response to requests for introductions to books by himself and others, book reviews, newspaper columns and the like, he called it Required Writing. That is misleading. As he makes clear, he was never a professional writer; he did not have to seek outlets for his writing, study markets, or try to interest editors in pieces that he thought he could produce if encouraged by a commission. Thus the door was opened to a freshness not always found in the press cuttings of well-known authors, and those surprising enthusiasms - for instance the early James Bond books, the work of crime writer Gladys Mitchell, the obscure Julian Hall, and poets such as Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and Sylvia Plath. At least, he seems to have liked some of Plath's poems; his judicious assessment of her large output is so very fair it is hard to be certain.
Balance is a strong feature throughout the book. He admires Edward Thomas for his poetry, but notes that even Thomas's devoted widow conceded he was close to impossible as a person. Yes, the early Bond books were good, but Fleming could not sustain the quality beyond the first seven, and the films and film-derived book clones became ridiculous (even by the time of Larkin's 1981 piece). Interestingly, when Larkin loses his balance it is with reference to music. His appreciation of the types of jazz available on record in his own late teenage years is essentially uncritical, leading him to unjustified deprecation of the blues, rhythm and blues and - perhaps the most jarring note in the whole book - Mick Jagger.
But you can take what you want and leave the rest, and if you have an interest in Larkin, poetry, good writing in general, or Marvell, Tennyson, William Barnes, Hardy, the First World War poets, Houseman, W H Auden, Stevie Smith and others in particular, you will take much more than you leave. It's only a pity the book isn't indexed; there is much here well worth a quick reference at a later date.
In truth there was a wealth of friendships, correspondences and shared holidays, as well as a very full involvement in his work as a university librarian and in the librarians' professional association. He also sustained a deep interest in his own writing, and that of a wide range of classic and other writers of poetry and prose. This volume attests to that, provides us with much information about his early years (albeit with the complete omission of any possible titillation), and reveals a number of surprising enthusiasms.
Because the writing collected in the book was produced in response to requests for introductions to books by himself and others, book reviews, newspaper columns and the like, he called it Required Writing. That is misleading. As he makes clear, he was never a professional writer; he did not have to seek outlets for his writing, study markets, or try to interest editors in pieces that he thought he could produce if encouraged by a commission. Thus the door was opened to a freshness not always found in the press cuttings of well-known authors, and those surprising enthusiasms - for instance the early James Bond books, the work of crime writer Gladys Mitchell, the obscure Julian Hall, and poets such as Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and Sylvia Plath. At least, he seems to have liked some of Plath's poems; his judicious assessment of her large output is so very fair it is hard to be certain.
Balance is a strong feature throughout the book. He admires Edward Thomas for his poetry, but notes that even Thomas's devoted widow conceded he was close to impossible as a person. Yes, the early Bond books were good, but Fleming could not sustain the quality beyond the first seven, and the films and film-derived book clones became ridiculous (even by the time of Larkin's 1981 piece). Interestingly, when Larkin loses his balance it is with reference to music. His appreciation of the types of jazz available on record in his own late teenage years is essentially uncritical, leading him to unjustified deprecation of the blues, rhythm and blues and - perhaps the most jarring note in the whole book - Mick Jagger.
But you can take what you want and leave the rest, and if you have an interest in Larkin, poetry, good writing in general, or Marvell, Tennyson, William Barnes, Hardy, the First World War poets, Houseman, W H Auden, Stevie Smith and others in particular, you will take much more than you leave. It's only a pity the book isn't indexed; there is much here well worth a quick reference at a later date.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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3 reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Larkin on poetry and jazz
4 Sep 2001
Format:Paperback
Anyone familar with Larkin's poetry will want to read this book of essays on literature and jazz. In it he demonstrates the same humor, common-sense, and intelligence that can be found in his poetry. His strong preference is for poets who are not deliberately obscure or difficult. Indeed, at times Larkin can sound almost anti-intellectual. This is misleading; he is very serious about his art. In this collection, he shows great insight into the works of other 20th Century British poets. His essays on jazz are more melancholy; for Larkin, jazz started going downhill with Bop. Nevertheless, his comments on jazz are insightful.
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Larkin's miscellanies
27 Aug 1999
Format:Paperback
Readers who liked Larkin's poetry will find the same humorous and pessimistic point of view to like in Larkin the book reviewer and jazz critic.
This book gathers together Larkin's miscellanies. It consists of two interviews with Larkin, his introductions to his novels and books of poetry, talks about poetry, reviews of poetry anthologies, biographies and novels plus some material about jazz that is also included in his book "All What Jazz." Most of the writing is about literature and music with the exception of a review of a book on the language of children.
The poets discussed are almost all British poets of the late-19th and 20th century such as A.E. Housman, Stevie Smith, Wilfred Owen, John Betjeman, Thomas Hardy and W.H. Auden (the last two being Larkin's favorites). Throughout these writings, Larkin is seen fighting a battle against modernism. For him, the arts in the 20th century went astray with "(Ezra) Pound, Picasso and (Charlie) Parker." He prefers poems that "use language in the way we all use it" and music that is "an affair of nice noises rather than nasty ones." This is a reasonable asethetic principle but he restates enough times in the book to become a little repetitious.
There is still enough good stuff to make the book worthwhile. There's some funny patches such as Larkin's description of the "fleshy, inarticulate" and aging jazz fans "whose first coronary is coming like Christmas." As a critic and a writer, Larkin is all for providing pleasure, instead of material for earnest study. Many readers will be refreshed by this approach to literature.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Good Writing
28 Nov 2011
Format:Paperback
Philip Larkin was one of the best Poet Laureates England never had. Not becoming Poet Laureate was his own choice; the post was offered but he declined. It is also Larkin's own doing that he has a reputation, not justified, as something of a `miserable old devil'. Yes, he was an unusually private person; as an Englishman of his generation and professional status he thought his sensitivities best concealed. When those sensitivities burst out through his poems, conferring celebrity status, he raised a number of defensive barriers, one of which was the pretence of a thoroughly dull personal and interior life.
In truth there was a wealth of friendships, correspondences and shared holidays, as well as a very full involvement in his work as a university librarian and in the librarians' professional association. He also sustained a deep interest in his own writing, and that of a wide range of classic and other writers of poetry and prose. This volume attests to that, provides us with much information about his early years (albeit with the complete omission of any possible titillation), and reveals a number of surprising enthusiasms.
Because the writing collected in the book was produced in response to requests for introductions to books by himself and others, book reviews, newspaper columns and the like, he called it Required Writing. That is misleading. As he makes clear, he was never a professional writer; he did not have to seek outlets for his writing, study markets, or try to interest editors in pieces that he thought he could produce if encouraged by a commission. Thus the door was opened to a freshness not always found in the press cuttings of well-known authors, and those surprising enthusiasms - for instance the early James Bond books, the work of crime writer Gladys Mitchell, the obscure Julian Hall, and poets such as Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and Sylvia Plath. At least, he seems to have liked some of Plath's poems; his judicious assessment of her large output is so very fair it is hard to be certain.
Balance is a strong feature throughout the book. He admires Edward Thomas for his poetry, but notes that even Thomas's devoted widow conceded he was close to impossible as a person. Yes, the early Bond books were good, but Fleming could not sustain the quality beyond the first seven, and the films and film-derived book clones became ridiculous (even by the time of Larkin's 1981 piece). Interestingly, when Larkin loses his balance it is with reference to music. His appreciation of the types of jazz available on record in his own late teenage years is essentially uncritical, leading him to unjustified deprecation of the blues, rhythm and blues and - perhaps the most jarring note in the whole book - Mick Jagger.
But you can take what you want and leave the rest, and if you have an interest in Larkin, poetry, good writing in general, or Marvell, Tennyson, William Barnes, Hardy, the First World War poets, Houseman, W H Auden, Stevie Smith and others in particular, you will take much more than you leave. It's only a pity the book isn't indexed; there is much here well worth a quick reference at a later date.
In truth there was a wealth of friendships, correspondences and shared holidays, as well as a very full involvement in his work as a university librarian and in the librarians' professional association. He also sustained a deep interest in his own writing, and that of a wide range of classic and other writers of poetry and prose. This volume attests to that, provides us with much information about his early years (albeit with the complete omission of any possible titillation), and reveals a number of surprising enthusiasms.
Because the writing collected in the book was produced in response to requests for introductions to books by himself and others, book reviews, newspaper columns and the like, he called it Required Writing. That is misleading. As he makes clear, he was never a professional writer; he did not have to seek outlets for his writing, study markets, or try to interest editors in pieces that he thought he could produce if encouraged by a commission. Thus the door was opened to a freshness not always found in the press cuttings of well-known authors, and those surprising enthusiasms - for instance the early James Bond books, the work of crime writer Gladys Mitchell, the obscure Julian Hall, and poets such as Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and Sylvia Plath. At least, he seems to have liked some of Plath's poems; his judicious assessment of her large output is so very fair it is hard to be certain.
Balance is a strong feature throughout the book. He admires Edward Thomas for his poetry, but notes that even Thomas's devoted widow conceded he was close to impossible as a person. Yes, the early Bond books were good, but Fleming could not sustain the quality beyond the first seven, and the films and film-derived book clones became ridiculous (even by the time of Larkin's 1981 piece). Interestingly, when Larkin loses his balance it is with reference to music. His appreciation of the types of jazz available on record in his own late teenage years is essentially uncritical, leading him to unjustified deprecation of the blues, rhythm and blues and - perhaps the most jarring note in the whole book - Mick Jagger.
But you can take what you want and leave the rest, and if you have an interest in Larkin, poetry, good writing in general, or Marvell, Tennyson, William Barnes, Hardy, the First World War poets, Houseman, W H Auden, Stevie Smith and others in particular, you will take much more than you leave. It's only a pity the book isn't indexed; there is much here well worth a quick reference at a later date.
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