Tag Archives: Philip Larkin

Ted Lasso and Mary Oliver??

Ted Lasso ends season four with a VoiceOver reciting Mary Oliver’s “When Death Comes.” I explore why.

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What Your Mum and Dad Do to You

Adrian Mitchell claps back against Philip Larkin’s “They fuck you up, your mum and dad.” While he lacks Larkin’s bite, he captures my own upbringing much better.

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Senior Centers Should Read Tolstoy

Gawande’s “Being Mortal,” which looks at how we die, makes good use of Tolstoy’s “The Death of Ivan Ilyich.”

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Some Good News, Thanks to the Sun

Bill McKibben reports good news about the world’s conversion to solar so here are poems praising the sun from Larkin and Milton.

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What Are Days For? Larkin’s Non Answer

In “Days,”Larkin urges us to make the most of each day.

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Ted Lasso, Not Larkin, for Child Advice

Larkin’s famous poem “They fuck you up, your mum and dad” is wrong in a number of interesting ways.

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Empire of Light, Filled with Poetry

The film “Empire of Light” is magical in part because of all the poetry recited.

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Larkin’s Attack on Nostalgia

Larkin’s “I Remember” is an attack on Coventry for not having given him an idealized childhood.

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My Problematic Relationship with Charles II

A melange of thoughts, including my supposed link with Charles II and authors connected with Coventry.

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