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Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica

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Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica reveals the intimate and seldom-seen correspondence between the celebrated poet Philip Larkin and Monica Jones, his lifelong confidante and lover. Meeting in 1946 at University College Leicester, their relationship unfolded through nearly two thousand letters, postcards, and telegrams, spanning over four decades. These candid writings chart Larkin's personal life, his movements from Leicester to Belfast and Hull, and the complexities of their enduring bond until his death in 1985.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4999
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This compelling collection is ideal for admirers of Philip Larkin, scholars of modern British poetry, and readers interested in literary history and intimate personal correspondence.

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A remarkable collection of letters that reveals the unseen life of Philip Larkin.

Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica, edited by Anthony Thwaite, is remarkable collection of letters that reveals the unseen life of Philip Larkin.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Philip Larkin: Letters to Monica captures the unique relationship between Philip Larkin and Monica Jones, who met at University College Leicester in the autumn of 1946. At the time, they were both twenty-four; he was the newly-appointed assistant librarian and she, an English lecturer.

In 1950, Larkin moved to Belfast and later to Hull, while Monica remained in Leicester. Despite the distance, she became his correspondent, lover, and closest confidante during a relationship that spanned over forty years, ending only with Larkin's death in 1985.

This remarkable unpublished correspondence was discovered only after Monica Jones's death in 2001. It consists of nearly two thousand letters, postcards, and telegrams, chronicling—day by day, sometimes hour by hour—every facet of Larkin's life and the complexities of their relationship.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571239108

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 September 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Contributors:

  • Edited by Anthony Thwaite
  • Edited by Anthony Thwaite
  • Edited by Anthony Thwaite

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 155.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 645g

Pages: 496

About the Author

As one of Philip Larkin's chosen literary executors, Anthony Thwaite edited the Collected Poems, Selected Letters and Further Requirements. 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. 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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