Philip Larkin

Life, Art and Love

01 February, 2015

James Booth

Bloomsbury, 544 pages, Rs. 699

As a poet, Philip Larkin was a household name in his own lifetime; as a person, he has been controversial, and accusations of duplicity, faithlessness, racism and misogyny have been levelled against him. Drawing on the personal testimonies of those who knew him well, and with access to previously unseen letters, Booth reinstates a man misunderstood: not a gaunt, emotional failure, but a witty, provocative and entertaining presence, devoted to the women he loved.