Best The Philip Larkin Society Podcasts (2024)

1
In Celebration of Betty Mackereth 1:28:25

1d ago1:28:25

1:28:25

Betty Mackereth was Philip Larkin’s secretary at the library at the University of Hull. They were work colleagues and good friends, growing closer and more intimate, as the years went on. Betty turns 100 on 27th June 2024. We begin with Betty herself in conversation with James Booth when James was beginning his research into his biography of Philip…

1
Psychedelic Regrets in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (Part 6)

4d ago

—

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/subtextapps for free appetizers for life. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes.…

1
Joe Riley Presents: The Trees 17:34

7d ago17:34

17:34

Joe Riley, teacher and poet of no great renown, is alifelong lover of Larkin. In this series he attempts to read some of Larkin’s poems in suitable places with his trusty tape recorder. In this episode he explores The Trees from High Windows Music: In A Mellow Tone by Count Basie Produced by Lyn Lockwood, Gavin Hogg and Joe Riley Please email Lyn a…

1
Psychedelic Regrets in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” Part 5 (and Part 6 for Subscribers)

12d ago

—

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/subtextapps for free appetizers for life. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes.…

1
Psychedelic Regrets in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (Part 4)

18d ago

—

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/subtextapps for free appetizers for life. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes.…

1
Joe Riley Presents: The Mower 16:23

23d ago16:23

16:23

Joe Riley, teacher and poet of no great renown, is alifelong lover of Larkin. In this series he attempts to read some of Larkin’s poems in suitable places with his trusty tape recorder. In this episode he explores Larkin’s late poem The Mower. Music: Just a Mood (A Blue Mood) by the Teddy WilsonQuartet Produced by Lyn Lockwood, Gavin Hogg and Joe R…

1
Psychedelic Regrets in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (Part 3) 53:07

26d ago53:07

53:07

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit Airwa…

1
Psychedelic Regrets in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (Part 2) 39:34

1M ago39:34

39:34

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit Airwa…

1
Psychedelic Regrets in “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” 53:56

1M ago53:56

53:56

The ancient Mariner kills his Albatross with a carelessness that stands in stark contrast to his impulse for confession. For several days he and his shipmates feed the albatross, play with it, and treat it as if it were inhabited by a “Christian soul.” The mariner never tells the wedding guest why it is that he kills the bird, but the casual and se…

1
Ann Thwaite 38:21

1M ago38:21

38:21

Writer Ann Thwaite has a long involvement with the society and with Philip Larkin himself. Ann married Anthony Thwaite when they were both young Oxford graduates. Anthony Thwaite brought Larkin’s poems to the BCC and many publications in his work as an editor. Anthony was Larkin’s executor alongside Andrew Motion, and went on to edit Larkin’s lette…

1
Sins of Omission in “On the Waterfront” (1954) (Part 2) 35:22

2M ago35:22

35:22

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of “On the Waterfront.” For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe to other Airwave s…

1
Sins of Omission in “On the Waterfront” (1954) (Part 1) 40:58

2M ago40:58

40:58

Terry Malloy and his fellow longshoremen on the New York docks are witnesses to union corruption under labor boss Johnny Friendly, but won’t testify against him because of his violent intimidation tactics, which ensure that union members remain “D and D”—that is, deaf and dumb—to any illegal activity. When Terry’s collaboration with Friendly result…

1
Consciousness Bemoaned in “Aubade” by Philip Larkin (Part 2) 53:02

2M ago53:02

53:02

In the medieval tradition of courtly love, the aubade inverts the serenade. Where one heralds an evening arrival, the other laments a morning departure. In John Dunne’s famous poetic contribution to the genre, he chastises the sun for waking and so separating lovers, but consoles us with the notion that the power of the sun is ultimately subordinat…

1
Consciousness Bemoaned in “Aubade” by Philip Larkin (Part 1) 40:46

2M ago40:46

40:46

In the medieval tradition of courtly love, the aubade inverts the serenade. Where one heralds an evening arrival, the other laments a morning departure. In John Dunne’s famous poetic contribution to the genre, he chastises the sun for waking and so separating lovers, but consoles us with the notion that the power of the sun is ultimately subordinat…

1
Celebrating The Philip Larkin Society Conference 2024 1:05:35

2M ago1:05:35

1:05:35

This episode is all about the 2 PLS conference events that took place on 13-15th March 2024 at the University of Hull. Professor Douglas Bell, now back home in the city of Ningbo in China, reflects on visiting Hull City centre and Cottingham for the first time in over 30 years, having graduated from the University of Hull in 1991. Rachael Galletly,…

1
Rosie Millard OBE 1:15:29

4M ago1:15:29

1:15:29

Today we are joined by our society President, Rosie Millard. Rosie came to Hull as an undergraduate while Larkin was still librarian at the university and she has maintained close links with Hull ever since. She was made Chair of Hull City of Culture 2017 and appointed OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours List for services in the arts to the city of Hu…

1
Zachary Leader and Daniel Vince- Larkin and Wain, the post-war English novel 1:03:03

5M ago1:03:03

1:03:03

Zachary Leader is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Roehampton. He grew up in California but has lived in Britain for over fifty years and has dual US/UK citizenship. He was educated at Northwestern University, Trinity College, Cambridge, and Harvard and is the biographer of Kingsley Amis and edited the Letters of Kingsl…

1
Identity and Infamy in “Citizen Kane” (1941) (Part 2) 47:36

6M ago47:36

47:36

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of Orson Welles’s “Citizen Kane.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/subtextfree and use code subtextfree for free breakfast for life. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to a…

1
Identity and Infamy in “Citizen Kane” (1941) (Part 1) 46:03

6M ago46:03

46:03

It’s a film bursting with objects—the treasure troves of Xanadu, a snowglobe, jigsaw puzzles, a winner’s cup, the famous sled. Even the conceptual elements of the film’s plot are expressed tangibly. Kane’s mind-boggling wealth isn’t an abstraction, but a list of concrete holdings—gold mines, oil wells, real estate. And the news Kane controls and ma…

1
Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (Part 6) 42:31

6M ago42:31

42:31

Part 6 of Wes & Erin’s discussion of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, St. John’s College. Learn more about undergraduate–and graduate–Great Books programs at St. John’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annapolis, Maryland at sjc.edu/subtext. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on t…

1
Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (Part 5) 57:21

7M ago57:21

57:21

Part 5 of Wes & Erin’s discussion of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, St. John’s College. Learn more about undergraduate–and graduate–Great Books programs at St. John’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annapolis, Maryland at sjc.edu/subtext. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on t…

1
Philip Larkin Society Pub Quiz 2/12/23 56:58

7M ago56:58

56:58

The Philip Larkin Society always mark the 2nd ofDecember which is the anniversary of Philip Larkin’s death in 1985. In 2022 we marked the date with the unveiling of a blue plaque in Coventry at Larkin’s birthplace and we held an evening event at Westminster Abbey with poetry readings at the site of his plaque in Poet’s Corner. It felt right to do s…

1
Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (Part 4) 1:14:32

7M ago1:14:32

1:14:32

Part 4 of Wes & Erin’s discussion of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, HelloFresh. Go to HelloFresh.com/subtextfree and use code subtextfree for free breakfast for life. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to …

1
Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (Part 3) 54:05

7M ago54:05

54:05

Part 3 of Wes & Erin’s discussion of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, St. John’s College. Learn more about undergraduate–and graduate–Great Books programs at St. John’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annapolis, Maryland at sjc.edu/subtext. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on t…

1
Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (Part 2) 58:31

7M ago58:31

58:31

Part 2 of Wes & Erin’s discussion of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale.” Thanks to our sponsor for this episode, St. John’s College. Learn more about undergraduate–and graduate–Great Books programs at St. John’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annapolis, Maryland at sjc.edu/subtext. For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on t…

1
The Emptiness of Signification in Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” (Part 1) 56:09

7M ago56:09

56:09

When King Leontes accuses his pregnant wife of adultery, the nobleman Antigonus assumes that Leontes has been “abused and by some putter-on”—in other words, some Iago-like villain has been putting malevolent ideas into his head. In fact, Leontes is the father of his own misconceptions, just as he is the father of his wife’s children. But unlike his…

1
Chris Sewart and Phil Pullen 1:42:39

8M ago1:42:39

1:42:39

In this episode we talk to Beverley based poet Chris Sewart in his second appearance on Tiny in All That Air, and Phil Pullen, trustee of the PLS, who regular listeners will be familiar with from a number of previous episodes. We talk about Chris's poetry and his upcoming performance as the 'warm up' for Roger McGough in Beverley next year (details…

1
(post)script: Post-Tryst (Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters”) 32:24

8M ago32:24

32:24

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters.” For bonus content, become a paid subscriber at Patreon or directly on the Apple Podcasts app. Patreon subscribers also get early access to ad-free regular episodes. This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit AirwaveMedia.com to listen and subscribe…

1
The Tyranny of the Good in Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” 1:02:04

8M ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Hannah supports her sisters. She’s a source of money, encouragement, and advice, and seems to ask for nothing in return. In fact, she’s so giving and self-reliant that her husband Eliott begins to believe that she has no needs. This seems to be the spark that ignites his infatuation with Hannah’s sister Lee. It also leads her sister Holly to rebel …

1
Odysseus and Penelope’s Comedy of Remarriage (“The Odyssey,” Postscript to Part 3) 21:38

8M ago21:38

21:38

Wes & Erin conclude their discussion of “The Odyssey,” with a focus on Odysseus and Penelope getting reacquainted with each other in Books 19 and 23. We discuss Penelope asking Odysseus-in-disguise whether she should marry a suitor, but tells him the dream of 20 geese, foretelling their ruin; the test involving the bed post tree trunk; and how we m…

1
Terminal Wooings in “The Odyssey” (Part 3 of 3) 58:56

8M ago58:56

58:56

Wes & Erin discuss the final 12 books of “The Odyssey.” Having learned the lessons of the murder of Agamemnon, Odysseus does not rush straight home to his wife and children, once he arrives at Ithaca. Athena is impressed–but why, exactly? Why is it that Odysseus feels the need to hide his identity, and put friends and family to the test? And after …

1
Foolish Adventures in “The Odyssey” (Part 2 of 3) 1:09:34

9M ago1:09:34

1:09:34

Wes & Erin continue their discussion of the Odyssey, translated by Emily Wilson. In this episode, part 2 of our 3-part series, they look closely at the heart of the poem, books 5-12, in which Odysseus arrives in Phaeacia and provides the tale-within-the-tale of his adventures after the Trojan War. They discuss the significance of Odysseus’s fantast…

1
Larkin the Librarian 1:02:56

10M ago1:02:56

1:02:56

This episode was researched and planned by PLS Trustees Julian Henry and Dr Chris Fletcher, Keeper of Special Collections at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Philip Larkin was a librarian for 42 years. He had no formal training when he set off; he chose the career on the spur of the moment as a 21 year old after leaving university, like many students,…

1
Home as Identity in “The Odyssey” 1:05:14

10M ago1:05:14

1:05:14

He was famously a man of many ways, whether we interpret these as abilities or norms; designs or deceptions; reasons or identities. Yet despite such resources, he was also famously stuck, making a 10-year odyssey of his attempt to return home from a 10-year war. What keeps the man of master plans from homecoming and domestic bliss? In the first of …

1
'Philip Larkin: Funny Man' by John White (2010) 45:32

11M ago45:32

45:32

This talk was given to the Philip Larkin Society in 2010 by Emeritus Reader of American History at the University of Hull, John White. John White is the PLS jazz consultant and along with Trevor Tolley, compiled the wonderful ‘Larkin’s Jazz’ 4 disc CD released on Proper Records. This was part of the Larkin25 commemorative events. The talk is a warm…

1
Competing Affections in “The Lion in Winter” 51:04

11M ago51:04

51:04

Before Henry VIII changed history for lack of a son, Henry II had too many. His eldest, Richard, a fierce soldier who controls the wealthy Aquitaine, is the favorite of his mother, Eleanor. The youngest, John, is immature and dull, but his father’s favorite. And the middle son, scheming Geoffrey, is, quite dangerously, no one’s favorite. In the end…

1
Philip Larkin and Thomas Hardy 1:10:26

12M ago1:10:26

1:10:26

Philip Larkin was just five years old when Hardy died in 1928, but this English poet and novelist was going to have a profound influence on Larkin’s writing. To discuss some of the connections between Larkin and Hardy, Lyn is joined by Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Hull Jane Thomas and composer Arthur Keegan. Thomas Hardy Novel…

1
Friendship and Honor in “Becket” (1964) 49:06

12M ago49:06

49:06

In Jean Anouilh’s 1959 play “Becket,” the titular character seems at first to be a Saxon collaborationist to the Norman rule of England, and a man who has sacrificed his personal honor to his friendship with King Henry II and, as he puts it, “good living.” This will change when he becomes Archbishop of Canterbury, only to realize that he is enchant…

1
Winifred Dawson reading 'Love and Larkin'. 1:04:00

1y ago1:04:00

1:04:00

This talk was given to the PLS in 2001 by Winifred Dawson. Winifred was born in London, but educated in Belfast which is where she met Larkin when they were both working at Queen’s University Library. Win also went on to write herself and published a biography of Amy Audrey Locke, a muse for the poet WB Yeats. Win opens with a reflection on Larkin’…

1
Losing Your Head in Alice Munro’s “Carried Away” 56:07

1y ago56:07

56:07

Jack, a Canadian soldier recuperating in a European hospital during World War I, begins a correspondence with Louisa, the librarian in his hometown whom he has only seen and loved from afar. Their letters turn romantic. But when the war ends and he returns home, Jack never shows his face to Louisa and marries another woman, leaving Louisa to wonder…

1
Time and Taboo in “Back to the Future” (1985) 51:59

1y ago51:59

51:59

In the parking lot of the Twin Pines Mall, Doc Brown plans to use his Delorean time machine to head 25 years into the future and see, as he puts it, “the progress of mankind.” But like the license plate on the Delorean, Doc is out of time. Through his absent-mindedness—and angering some terrorists—Doc has failed to provide a future into which he or…

1
Alan Plater- By The Tide of Humber I Walked Among Poets (talk given to the PLS 28/11/98) 45:41

1y ago45:41

45:41

This episode features a writer who would be familiar not only to Hull residents but also to keen telly watchers, radio listeners and theatre goers across the country. Alan Plater was born in Jarrow in 1935 but having moved to Hull when he was just three years old, the city was pleased to adopt him and he lived there for much of his life. His most f…

1
The Violence of Redemption in John Donne’s “Batter My Heart” (Holy Sonnet 14) 49:13

1y ago49:13

49:13

In “Holy Sonnet 14,” John Donne would like his “three person’d God” to break instead of knock, blow instead of breathe, and burn instead of shine. This vision of redemption is about remaking rather than reform. And it seems to be motivated by a sense that neither reason nor the typical rhetoric of faith are not enough to bridge the mortal and the d…

1
Larkin in Objects, Objects in Larkin: Clarissa Hard and Francesca Gardner 56:08

1+ y ago56:08

56:08

At the time of recording this podcast we received the sad news that our founding chairman Professor Eddie Dawes had passed away on the 3rd March 2023 at the age of 97. Gavin and I were very privileged to be able to record the very first Tiny podcast with Eddie at his home in Hull. Eddie was so open to new ideas and ways of doing things. He was so s…

1
Mortal Pretensions in John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud” (Holy Sonnet 10) 57:49

1+ y ago57:49

57:49

A recusant Catholic turned Protestant, a rake turned priest, a scholar, lawyer, politician, soldier, secretary, sermonizer, and of course, a poet— John Donne’s biography contains so many scuttled identities and discrete lives, perhaps its no wonder that his great subjects were mortality and death. His Holy Sonnets, likely composed between 1609 and …

1
Novelist Anne Fine 'Philip Larkin- A Personal View'. 43:53

1+ y ago43:53

43:53

Anne Fine gave our Distinguished Guest Lecture at the PLS AGM in 2004 and here we reproduce her talk in its entirety. Anne muses on how she discovered Larkin as a teenager who couldn't resist poems with swear words in, but also how she came to see the connections between Larkin’s poetry and her own life- especially The Trees- as well as her admirat…

1
Trauma and Repetition in Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” (1974) 48:34

1+ y ago48:34

48:34

Roman Polanksi’s 1974 film “Chinatown” seems to have little to do with its titular neighborhood, which is the setting for only one horrible and final scene. Chinatown functions instead to represent the traumatic moment that drives this story just because it is hidden from view—a place indecipherable even to the hard-boiled private investigator who …

1
Poet and musician, Ivor Cutler (Larkin's contemporary) with Bruce Lindsey and Gavin Hogg (January 2023) 1:08:18

1+ y ago1:08:18

1:08:18

This episode’s guests are Gavin Hogg and Bruce Lindsay and we are discussing Ivor Cutler, poet, writer, teacher and musician, who was born Jan 15th 1923 and so is a close chronological contemporary of Philip Larkin, although their paths never crossed. We look at their surreal sense of humour, their different experiences of World War II, their appro…

1
Better and Bested in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 59:06

1+ y ago59:06

59:06

It’s a play full of contradictions, secrets, lies, and unspoken rules. It’s a play decidedly for adults, but about a child—an imaginary one, no less. It takes place on a college campus, but it is absent of students. And it’s about “fun and games” and “playing pretend,” but its games are harsh and shocking, and playing pretend involves vengeance and…

1
Review of 2022 with Larkin100 trustees Graham Chesters, Phil Pullen and Vicky Foster - December 2022 1:02:05

1+ y ago1:02:05

1:02:05

This episode welcomes three Larkin100 trustees to look back on 2022; Graham Chesters, Phil Pullen, and teacher, writer and poet Vicky Foster who has a very particular connection to Hull and the work of Philip Larkin. Vicky Foster Poet Hull Please watch and subscribe; https://www.youtube.com/@thephiliplarkinsociety1930/featured PLS Membership and in…

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