Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96Ask the average Coventrian about the poet Philip Larkin and the response will often be a blank stare. Often, those who confess to having heard of him at all, know him as a poet whose most famous line is less than complimentary about his parents. Others, uncomfortable with certain features of Larkin’s private life and attitudes, focus on these rather than on the greatness of his poetry. On Wednesday, 2 December 2015, however, Larkin was celebrated in suitable style at King Henry VIII School, which he attended for ten years between 1930 and 1940 before going up to Oxford during the Second World War. After the blitz in 1941, Larkin returned afterwards only to see most of the city’s familiar landmarks in ruins, his own school falling victim to a night of incendiary bombs. After Oxford, Larkin took up a variety of library posts before settling in Hull as librarian at the city’s university, where he remained for the rest of his life and where he wrote most of his poetry. He also wrote two novels and for many years wrote jazz reviews for the Daily Telegraph. Now he is widely recognised as one of the foremost poets of the 20th century. On December 2nd 1985 Larkin died of cancer aged only 63, and on the 30th anniversary of his death the school hosted a symposium to commemorate the life of the Coventry poet whom The Times, in 2008, named “the greatest British post-war writer”. Coventry has been slow to recognise its famous son. Perhaps things will change, now that at last the Dean of Westminster Abbey has agreed to honour Larkin by unveiling a memorial in Poets’ Corner – on December 2nd 2016. Coventry’s own bid to be City of Culture in 2021 is focussing minds. The event was masterminded by the current School Librarian, Helen Cooper. More than 60 people, including Lord Mayor Councillor Michael Hammon, attended the symposium, held suitably enough in the school’s library, where Larkin himself was a pupil librarian. Larkin’s most recent biographer, Professor James Booth, was one of many speakers who delighted the audience with reminiscences and anecdotes. Local writer Rex Harley, also an Old Coventrian, punctuated the day with readings from Larkin’s poetry. Former Head of English, Sheila Woolf, who opened a Philip Larkin Room at the school in 2002, played host for the day and presented the inaugural Philip Larkin Prize for excellence in English Literature A Level to Spandan Bhanerjee (Class of 2008), currently a student at UCL. Guests were able to view an impressive display of memorabilia, including Larkin’s earliest published writings in the school magazine and a number of first editions. Larkin, renowned for his shyness and deploring “social occasions” – one of the reasons he declined the position of Poet Laureate – would perhaps wonder what all the fuss was about. Nevertheless, the time has perhaps come for Coventry to include Larkin as a major player in its bid to be a centre of cultural excellence in five years’ time. Sheila Woolf larKin remembered Photos of Philip Larkin are used with kind permission of Hull University Archives, Hull History Centre 22 | The CovenTrian