Philip Larkin Poems: Selected by Martin Amis (Faber Poetry) Kindle Edition

Philip Larkin is one of my favorite poets. I, apparently, have plenty of company. Martin Amis writes that Larkin is "Britain's best-loved poet since World War II." Having recently re-read a fair amount of Larkin's poetry, including the three major volumes published during his lifetime ("The Less Deceived", "The Whitsun Weddings", and "High Windows"), I was curious to see which poems made it into Amis's "Selection". He chose fifty-eight poems in all, and I must say that if I were to choose my favorite fifty-eight Larkin poems, there would be about ninety percent overlap. I therefore can strongly endorse Amis's SELECTED POEMS OF PHILIP LARKIN as an ideal introduction to Larkin's poetry. Indeed, if you never went beyond Amis's SELECTED POEMS you would not be missing much of consequence.Enhancing the value of the book is Martin Amis's relatively short (fifteen pages) introduction to Larkin's life and work. It, of course, bears a patina of intimacy by virtue of the fact that Martin's father Kingsley was perhaps Larkin's closest male friend. It contains some inside information, but it also is an intelligent and I think objective assessment of Larkin as a man and as a poet. Here is one snippet:"The poems are transparent (they need no mediation), yet they tantalise the reader with glimpses of an impenetrable self: so much yearning, so much debility; an eros that self-thwarts and self-finesses. This is what rivets us: the mystery story of Larkin's soul."Finally, I should add that the hardcover volume published by Faber and Faber is a very handsome book, with high-quality paper and attractive layout and typesetting. I am not a user of e-readers, but I recognize that for many people they are now the preferred, even the exclusive, vehicle for print media. Yet there are some books that are so worthwhile as artifacts of our culture, so deserving of "permanence", that an e-reader does them a pronounced disservice. SELECTED POEMS OF PHILIP LARKIN is one such book.

A splendid introduction to Larkin, with a very interesting foreword by Martin Amis. Includes less familiar poems as well as the most famous ones.

You need to have the mature individual collections The Less Deceived, Whitsun Weddings, and High Windows. Larkin gets better and better with reading and you may want all of the major collections--but Martin Amis has created a wonderful selection with a very intelligent introduction. He sees Larkin as a storyteller and prizes his excellent narrative voice. There is also music here as well. The Selected might start you out or serve as a condensed version of the Larkin worth having. Only completists need the recent collections of every poem (whether published or in letters or manuscript)--but you may want the recordings of Larkin reading The Less Deceived or The Sunday Sessions (a selection of poems by Larkin) which give you another angle of this subtle poet, a man of Twentieth Century England--whether for better or worse (see his letters for the worse).

Seems to be a just-right selection of Larkin's finest works. Enjoy.

An excellent collection of Philip Larkin's poetry selected by Martin Amis. It's an ideal introduction to the man's writing. Amis knew Larkin, insofar as anyone could have known him, and his introduction to the collection has the distinct pleasure of being close to its subject. Larkin is a must-read for any prose writer. His clear verse and tightness of tone are exemplary.

These poems are often fun or funny, but never slight or easy. Larkin's poetry is colloquial without being common and, as such, is the perfect antidote to the high pretentiousness of most poetry of his era.

I only wanted to have some Larkin on my Kindle, and was re-introduced to brilliant poet into the bargain. It strikes me that a newcomer could not find a better introduction to this book than Amis' who gives us a bit of personal context without getting in the way of appreciating the work on its own merits. I ordered a hard copy of the Complete Poems the next day.

I came to Larkin via his admirers, notably Martin Amis who writes a forward in this collection. His dour, deadpan and thoroughly unsentimental poems appealed to me, as did his almost complete refusal to participate in the literary life that most of his contemporaries enjoyed.I found his earlier poems not very interesting, and many of his later poems bleak. Amiws says that Larkin is a writers' poet, not a poets' poet, and as a poetry philistine I think I agree.

A very useful introduction to Larkin, with an insightful essay from Martin Amis who, unlike many in the literary world who bandy his name about, knew him as a family friend. I came to this book as I was looking for a primer - tired of hearing Larkin quotations from cultural capitalists without having investigated him for myself. It`s a slim volume but covers the breadth of his work including the one everyone quotes about your mum & dad (ask them to recite the rest of the poem to see if their knowledge extends beyond reading bits of the Sunday supplements out to you). The poems do occasionally have a detached, sardonic air but his emotional intelligence & empathy are there too - notably the very moving Mr Bleaney & An Arundel Tomb - bleakly beautiful. Incidentally, if they make a film of his life, he`s a dead ringer for Vic Reeves in the title role...

This very slim volume is a very well presented (poem a page) introduction to Larkin's poetry for those not familiar with his work. The selection of poems is interesting - the familiar and less familiar, ironic, satiric and moribund - an easy read if you have not the thought to spare or are misled by apparent simplicity.For those, like me, who have read the collected poems and think we may know a little something, Martin Amis' excellent introduction will quickly reassure us that we don't - very informative as well as entertaining.For only the cost of a bottle of wine, go on and buy it. Or, better still, buy both.

Brilliant poems by Larkin, and an equally brilliant intro by Martin Amis, who knew Larkin personally. I've re-read this several times since buying it.

Larkin the Genius. Can make you laugh out loud, then make you sad as he hits the truth of a situation. No bookshelf complete without Larkin. (Amiss gives essential insight.)

There are now many anthologies of Larkin's poems available, but I particularly like this one because it contains Larkin's best work and leaves out the less successful attempts. Unless you must have every line he wrote, including juvenalia and unpublished poems, this is the collection to get. Amis's introduction does justice to the life and work of the poet.