April is a deceiving month. Skies are often clear, but the cold may still pinch if you dare leave the house in shorts. However, despite the temperamental weather, it is generally considered with positivity. Is spring not a time of promise? Not according to Philip Larkin. Famed for his aptitude for misery, Larkin once claimed […]
The literary relationship between storms and power is wonderful and fascinating. It links back to the fragility of what it means to be human. A frequent symbol of danger in literature, storms are characterised by chaos, while chaos is characterised by uncertainty and impotence in the face of sudden change. In Philip Larkin’s poem Mother, […]
It is often the way that prolific artists and authors do not receive appraisal in their own life; indeed, it may be only after the curtain call when their work becomes recognised and their character celebrated. However quite the opposite is true for one of Britain’s greatest and most controversial poets: Philip Larkin. Hailed as […]