“Seriously, I think it is a grave fault in life that so much time is wasted in social matters, because it not only takes up time when you might be doing individual private things, but it prevents you storing up the psychic energy that can then be released to create art or whatever it is. It's terrible the way we scotch silence & solitude at every turn, quite suicidal. I can't see how to avoid it, without being very rich or very unpopular, & it does worry me, for time is slipping by , and nothing is done. It isn't as if anything was gained by this social frivolity, It isn't: it's just a waste.”
Quote by Philip Larkin
Work
Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica
This book presents a rare glimpse into the personal life of the renowned poet Philip Larkin, through his correspondence with Monica Jones. The letters reveal a complex and deeply personal relationship, offering insights into Larkin's thoughts, feelings, and experiences. more
Author
Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin (August 9, 1922 – December 2, 1985) was a renowned English poet, novelist, and librarian. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of post-war Britain, known for his concise, bleak, and ironic style. Born in Coventry, Larkin studied at St John's College, Oxford. His major works include the poetry collections 'The Whitsun Weddings' and 'High Windows', and the novel 'Jill'. He spent most of his career as librarian at the University of Hull. Larkin's poetry often explores themes of death, loneliness, love, and the absurdity of everyday life. He rejected modernism in favor of traditional forms, and his precise, musical language earned him the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. His work continues to influence poets and readers worldwide. more
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Source: Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica
“To start at a new place is always to feel incompetent & unwanted.”
“Death is no different whined at than withstood.”
Source: Collected Poems
“Poetry is an affair of sanity, of seeing things as they are.”
“The trees are coming into leaf Like something almost being said.”
Source: Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica
Source: Collected Poems
“This is the first thing I have understood: Time is the echo of an axe within a wood.”
Source: Collected Poems
“It becomes still more difficult to find Words at once true and kind, Or not untrue and not unkind.”
Source: Collected Poems