La vida amb un forat a dins

by Philip Larkin

«La poesia et pot agafar desprevingut. Wordsworth de poc em costa la vida una vegada. Anava per l’autopista M1 un dissabte al matí; feien un programa de poesia a la ràdio, “Time for Verse”, es deia; era un matí d’estiu preciós, i de cop i volta algú va començar a recitar “Oda a la immortalitat” i a mi se’m van omplir els ulls de llàgrimes. I quan circules pel carril central a cent quilòmetres per hora…». La vida amb un forat a dins aplega una àmplia selecció dels poemes que Philip Larkin va publicar en vida—pertanyents als reculls «El vaixell del nord» (1945), «La menys enganyada» (1955), «Les noces de Pasqua» (1964) i «Finestrals» (1974)—, així com altres composicions de joventut que van aparèixer en publicacions literàries o peces tardanes. Més de trenta anys després de la seva mort, aquest volum trasllada al català l’obra d’un dels poetes més populars de la tradició anglosaxona amb fidelitat, riquesa de recursos i ofici.

400 pages, Hardcover

Published November 10, 2021

About the author

Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL, was an English poet, novelist and jazz critic. He spent his working life as a university librarian and was offered the Poet Laureateship following the death of John Betjeman, but declined the post. Larkin is commonly regarded as one of the greatest English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century. He first came to prominence with the release of his third collection The Less Deceived in 1955. The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows followed in 1964 and 1974. In 2003 Larkin was chosen as "the nation's best-loved poet" in a survey by the Poetry Book Society, and in 2008 The Times named Larkin as the greatest post-war writer.

Larkin was born in city of Coventry, England, the only son and younger child of Sydney Larkin (1884–1948), city treasurer of Coventry, who came from Lichfield, and his wife, Eva Emily Day (1886–1977), of Epping. From 1930 to 1940 he was educated at King Henry VIII School in Coventry, and in October 1940, in the midst of the Second World War, went up to St John's College, Oxford, to read English language and literature. Having been rejected for military service because of his poor eyesight, Larkin was able, unlike many of his contemporaries, to follow the traditional full-length degree course, taking a first-class degree in 1943. Whilst at Oxford he met Kingsley Amis, who would become a lifelong friend and frequent correspondent. Shortly after graduating he was appointed municipal librarian at Wellington, Shropshire. In 1946, he became assistant librarian at University College, Leicester and in 1955 sub-librarian at Queen's University, Belfast. In March 1955, Larkin was appointed librarian at The University of Hull, a position he retained until his death.

Reviews

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una edició momlt cuidada amb la gran majoria de la poesia de Philip Larkin. Al ser una edició bilingue està molt bé per anar veient la versió original.