Philip Larkin's Leicester- a literary walk

Philip Larkin's Leicester- a literary walk

10.00-12.30 Join us for a fascinating walk through the historic streets of Leicester. We will begin at Leicester Railway Station, from where Dr Philip Pullen will lead the group along the roads where Philip, Eva and Monica lived, ending at the University of Leicester campus where we will visit the David Wilson library. We will be meeting from 10 am and starting the walk at 10.30am.

Philip Larkin came to Leicester in September 1946 to take up the post of Assistant Librarian at University College, Leicester. The next four years would prove to be a critical period in Larkin’s life since not only did it mark the beginning of a successful career in academic librarianship but also led to him meeting Monica Jones, who was to become one of the most significant women in his life. A visit to see Larkin in Leicester also inspired Kingsley Amis to write his famous novel Lucky Jim (1954).

This walk takes us on a journey through the parts of Leicester most closely associated with Philip Larkin and Monica Jones as well as with his widowed mother Eva, with whom he shared a house in the city for two turbulent years before escaping to Belfast. Amongst other things, we will uncover a bogus psychologist, discover a connection between Leicester, Larkin and ‘The Archers’, and hear about Larkin’s strange bedfellow - a cat called ‘Oblomov’.

12.30 break for lunch (lunch is not provided) and time to enjoy The University of Leicester's Heritage Hub, 'Celebration of Heritage' day. There will be about 80 stalls and all kinds of events taking place throughout the day.

14:30 Tour of Larkin and Monica’s University College, led by Nick Everett, Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Leicester. This will include a visit to the David Wilson Library to see Larkin material in the University’s archives.

15:30 Tea

Please note, this is a donation only event, with Eventbrite requesting a minimum of £1 donation per ticket, which can be made on checkout. All donations are very gratefully recieved and help the Philip Larkin Society to offer events such as these with minium cost to both members and the general public, raising awareness and engagement with the work of Philip Larkin and his contempories.

To book separately...
16:00 My Friend Monica Literary Leicester Festival Talk by Kelvin Everest, Emeritus Professor of English at Liverpool University, former lecturer at Leicester and colleague of Monica Jones. This will take place at the Ken Edwards Building Lecture Theatre 2.

Kelvin will be giving a fascinating account of his friendship with Monica, from when he arrived in the Leicester Department as a junior lecturer in 1979 up until her retirement. He will combine personal reminiscences of Monica, including some involving Philip Larkin, with memories from other people, mainly students at that time, who knew Monica Jones at Leicester in the 1970s. This will be followed by a Q and A.

NB This event is also run in conjunction with the Philip Larkin Society but tickets are only available through Literary Leicester.

Host or Publisher Philip Larkin Society