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Quote by Philip Larkin

“…And for my part I always find home depressing, not for its fault entirely, but entering it is to leave the harmless universe of make believe I inhabit & encounter the real world where children are reared & are a nuisance but will be alive after you are dead, & where people grow old & have to be looked after not because you like them but because they are breaking up, & where style in words & behaviour counts for nothing at all. But what I dislike about my bunch is that they are PHYSIOLOGICALLY AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY INCAPABLE OF ENJOYING THEMSELVES. They have nothing nearly so wrong about them as you say yr Mother has, yet they go about thrashing themselves into deeper ecstasies of misery till I want to shake them till their teeth chatter. Letters to Monica, 28 December 1950”

Book:Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica

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

“Certainly I understand Czech. I've meant to ask you several times why you don't ever write to me in Czech. I'm not suggesting that you don't master German. Most of the time you master it surprisingly well and if once in a while you don't, it bows before you of its own accord, and this is particularly pleasing, for this is something a German doesn't dare to expect from his language, he doesn't dare to write so personally. But I wanted to read you in Czech because it is part of you, because only there is the whole Milena (the translation confirms it), whereas here is just the one from Vienna or the one preparing herself for Vienna. So Czech, please. And send the feuilletons you mention, too. Let them be shabby, you have also read your way through the shabbiness of my story, how far I don't know. Perhaps I can do this, too; but if I can't, then I'll remain stuck in the very best of prejudices.”

Language Letters

Book:Letters to Milena

Source: Letters to Milena

“The most beautiful of your letters (and that means a lot, for as a whole they are, almost in every line, the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me in my life) are those in which you agree with my 'fear' and at the same time try to explain that I don't need to have it. For I too, even though I may sometimes look like a bribed defender of my 'fear', probably agree with it deep down in myself, indeed it is part of me and perhaps the best part. And as it is my best, it is also perhaps this alone that you love. For what else worthy of love could be found in me? But this is worthy of love.”

Letters Letters To Milena

Book:Letters to Milena

Source: Letters to Milena

“Is it essential that I write?”

Letters

Book:Letters to a Young Poet

Source: Letters to a Young Poet