Larkin and Friends

On the Oxford Anthology of Twentieth Century English Verse

The week before last I wrote something for Engelsberg Ideas about Philip Larkin's Oxford Anthology of Twentieth Century English Verse, which was published fifty years ago last month (a hook's a hook). You can read it here.

Larkin's anthology is often and perhaps rightly remembered for its idiosyncrasies. Yet, those idiosyncrasies led him to some good poems which might otherwise have been passed over, at least by me. I have just got a copy of Tony Connor's collection Lodgers off the back of reading it. The assembly process also forced Larkin to reconsider at least some of his own ideas about modern poetry - and raised some provocative questions about what anthologies are for.

It’s a reminder that Larkin wasn't always the isolated figure he is sometimes made out to be. In his 1993 biography, Andrew Motion expressed some surprise that the poet had even agreed to the commission. But he also placed the anthology in the context of the various other ways in which Larkin was supporting other poets at the time: serving on committees, judging awards, reviewing books (Larkin chaired the Poetry Book Society during the 1980s, though oddly they don’t mention this much in their advertising).

Though the opportunity to edit the anthology came about by chance - the publisher's first choice, Louis MacNeice, had died unexpectedly - it could be seen as a culmination of those efforts. At the same time, in Andrew Motion's account, the book was also a turning point. Larkin, Motion argues, ultimately found the experience of returning to Oxford deeply depressing. Once safely back in Hull, he settled ever more deeply into his self-imposed isolation.

That lingering, unavoidable sense of isolation extends to how we read Larkin’s poems. I often get the feeling that besides the so-called Movement Larkin is rarely read in the context of his contemporaries. This is as true for readers as it is for critics. Larkin isn’t a popular subject at universities, and I often talk to people who say that they don't read much modern poetry, besides Larkin.

This is a shame on all counts. Larkin wasn't always generous about his contemporaries, but he can still be a rewarding guide to other writers. One example besides the anthology would be his well-documented admiration for the poet Gavin Ewart. Other connections demand a little more deduction. The Philip Larkin Society's conference last year, for instance, included a paper from Will May on Larkin's borrowings from Stevie Smith. (The Society, incidentally, aims to promote understanding and appreciation of Larkin's work, but also of the work of the poet’s contemporaries.)

I don't think Larkin's critical isolation does his own poetry any favours, either. If we had a wider, richer view of post-war poetry - and of his place in it - we might finally be able to stop treating Larkin as a 'national monument', with all the depreciating luggage that has entailed; we might even be able to see his real achievements - the poems - a little more clearly.

Put that down as wishful thinking, perhaps.

Books mentioned

• The Oxford Anthology of Twentieth Century English Verse, ed. Philip Larkin (Oxford University Press, 1973)

• Lodgers, Tony Connor (Oxford University Press, 1965)

• Larkin: A Writer's Life, Andrew Motion (Faber, 1993)