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Lockdown Larkin quiz!
As the ‘poet laureate of social isolation’, who better to turn to at this time than Philip Larkin?

But how well do you know your Larkin? Do you know your Monicas from your Ruths? Do you know your Brynmor Jones from your Wellingtons? Are you a toad or a sea anemone?

You can play for fun and keep your answers to yourself, or you can fill in the sheet and email it to us at plseducation@philiplarkin.com.  

We will announce the winning entries via the newsletter and on Twitter on Saturday 18th April 2020.

We will then publish the quiz and the answers on our website.

Name……………………………………………………………………………
Twitter address (if you would like your success celebrated on Twitter)………………………………………………………………………..
 
(Although this is just for fun, we will still treat your data in line with our privacy policy)
Round 1:
The exotic world of Philip Larkin. In which poems can you find these images? Written by PLS podcast Tiny in All That Air presenter Lyn Lockwood.
1. Tattoo-shops ………………………………………………………………..
2. Jive at the Mecca ………………………………………………………………
3. Drink, sex and jazz …………………………………………………………….
4. Circus tigers ………………………………………………………………………
5. Acrobat’s tights …………………………………………………………………
Round 2:
Animal Magic with Philip Larkin.
6. Name two poems in which Larkin mentions or alludes to rabbits?……………………………………………………………………….
7. Which one of Larkin’s girlfriends did he nickname ‘honey bear’ because of her sweet tooth?………………………………………………………………………..
8. What does Larkin describe as a ‘suspended lion face’?………………………………………………………………………..
9. In which poem does Larkin describe the lives of prairie cattle?………………………………………………………………………….
10. One of Larkin’s polaroid snaps features some underwear hanging from a washing line and which animal?…………………………………………………………………………..
Round 3 :
Larkin was never afraid to say it how he saw it. Who or what is Larkin talking about in these quotations? Written by our Secretary, Graham Chesters.
11. ‘And if that chap …………………………………………… wants me to read his things, he’d better write them in English.’
12. ‘The quickest way to start a punch-up between two British literary critics is to ask them what they think of the poems of.............................................’.
13. ‘No interesting letters waiting for me, except a man pressing me to let him publish a book of my poems. Only he lives in…………………………………………! It’s entirely a coincidence’. 
14. ‘Yesterday I drove to ..................................................., which is a very odd promontory at the mouth of the Humber. It was quite nice, not lonely enough for my liking.’
15. ‘..................................................... is such a combined Chaucer and Shakespeare of jazz’.
Round 4
Stretch and challenge for the Gifted+Talented kids written by Rachael Galletly, our Merchandise Officer.
16. How many major publishers did Larkin submit In the Grip of Light to in 1948, all of which rejected the volume of poems?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
17. In which year did Larkin self-publish a collection of verse titled XX Poems?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
18. Writing in 1955, which critic called Larkin's Mr Bleaney an example of 'poetry of despair?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
19. In 1974, Clive James called Larkin one of Europe's two best living poetic craftsmen. Who was the other?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
20. Which of Larkin's poems ends with the line 'We shall find out'?
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Round 5
Larkin Anagrams by our archivist Simon Wilson
21.      writing linear           ……………………………………………………………………………..
22.      lab ant mourned    ……………………………………………………………………………..
23.      soviets dread it   ……………………………………………………………………………..
24.      sherbert thieves     ……………………………………………………………………………..
25.      brief gild overnight ……………………………………………………………………………..
Round 6
 ‘Childhood was a forgotten boredom’,  of course, but what do you know about Larkin’s family background? Set by Chair of Larkin100, Philip Pullen.
26. What mode of transport did Larkin and his friend  Noel Hughes use to travel from Oxford to Coventry in November 1940 to check on the safety of his parents after the bombing attack on the City?
……………………………………………………………………………..
27. In which seaside town did Larkin’s parents first ‘become known’?
……………………………………………………………………………..
28.  According to Andrew Motion, which of Larkin’s childhood toys 'eventually met its end falling into a bowl of mint sauce.’
……………………………………………………………………………..
29.  In what way did Larkin’s father, Sydney, encourage his son’s interest in jazz?
……………………………………………………………………………..
30. ‘It’s strange but I can never remember anything of the kinds of letters he used to write. They were very short and dry, weren’t they? And slightly ironic.’ To whom was Larkin referring?
……………………………………………………………………………..
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