It's alright Ann. Larkin was a crafted, skillful, poet! And, being
essentially a pacifist I sometimes swear like a trooper, and, being a
veggie, I can still eat like a pig (that, I was once slyly told, is partial
to a shank of ham...). So I take what you say as a compliment!
His style is often quietly mournful and (enjoyably) depressed.
But anyone who can include the line: "A cut-price crowd, urban yet
simple..." is a long way from someone who writes sentiments I admire.
(Douglas Dunn on the other hand seems the kind of bloke one could spend time
with in a pub. Terry Street is a fine book!) I don't think, however, an
outlook like the one Larkin has comes from loneliness or isolation. When his
letters were published, and Motion's life, I think quite a few people were
surprised. He was complex and contradictory...
But I do like one or two of his poems: Show Saturday is one (that even has
hints of tenderness in it) and The Explosion is another (which, given his
vitriol against the miners later on in the decade, and during the final
strike, surprises me - and possibly embarrased him).
Bob


>From: "V. W." <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: New sub: The flats ( rewrite and extension)
>Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 15:21:48 EDT
>
>Oh dear Bob,
>        and I think I once compared one of your poems to a Larkinesque
>style.
>So, so sorry. I actually liked the old man. He was aware, I think, of how
>unlovable he was, and his mournful slant on life was a way of hitting back
>at
>a world that let people be lonely. I always felt his disdane of humanity
>was
>extended to himself, and that his poems rather took a swipe at the
>establishment, who kept down the ordinary man.
>        He said once in answer to his critics"that one writes the poetry
>one
>can, and this is not always the poetry one would like to".
>        maybe I am very wrong and again apologies         regards Ann.






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