High Windows is a collection of poems by English poet Philip Larkin. It was published in 1974 by Faber & Faber and was the last publication of new poetry by Larkin before his death in 1985. It was much anticipated. The dust cover flap of the hardback says "No introduction is necessary to this new collection..."
The collection contains some of his most famous poems, including the title piece, "High Windows", "Dublinesque", and "This Be The Verse".Cooper, Stephen.Philip Larkin: Subversive Writer. Sussex Academic Press (2004)p.170 The collection contains themes presented in his earlier collections, though the tone of the poems caused critics to suggest the book is darker and more "socially engaged" than his earlier volumes.Swarbrick, Andrew. Out of Reach: The Poetry of Philip Larkin London Macmillan (1995)pp.122-123Regan, Stephen. Philip Larkin. Palgrave Macmillan (1997) p.124 It is currently on the AQA AS/A2 level English Literature syllabus.
Larkin read the poems from this collection for an LP, released in 1975 by Argo as part of their series British Poets of Our Time.
Poems The volume contains 24 poems:
SequencePoem titleCompletion date1To the Sea6910Oct 1969 (best known date)2Sympathy in White Major 670831 Aug 19673The Trees 670602 Jun 19674Livings: I, II, III711210 Dec 19715Forget What Did 710806 Aug 19716High Windows 670212 Feb 19677Friday Night in the Royal Station Hotel 660520 May 19668The Old Fools 730112 Jan 19739Going, Going 720125 Jan 197210The Card-Players70056 May 197011The Building 720209 Feb 197212Posterity 680617 Jun 196813Dublinesque 700606 Jun 197014Homage to a Government 690110 Jan 196915This Be The Verse 7104Apr 1971 (best known date)16How Distant 651124 Nov 196517Sad Steps 680424 Apr 196818Solar 641104 Nov 196419Annus Mirabilis 670716 Jul 196720Vers de Société 710519 May 197121Show Saturday 731203 Dec 197322Money 730219 Feb 197323Cut Grass 710603 Jun 197124The Explosion 700105 Jan 1970
Critical reception Clive James, in As of this writing, describes High Windows as Larkin's bleakest volume of poetry, though he does admit that there are aspects of the poetry that contain the humour found in Larkin's earlier books of poetry. James suggests that Larkin has never liked the idea of a poet "Developing" and that Larkin himself remains the same throughout his career as a poet. High Windows, in James's opinion, shows that Larkin simply strives, with the addition of each poem, to state more clearly the same principles shown by his early works and concludes that "The total impression of High Windows is of despair made beautiful."James, Clive. As of This Writing.W. W. Norton & Company(2003)p.57
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