Monica Jones

Monica Jones

Throughout the life of the poet Philip Larkin a number of women had important roles which were notable influences on his poetry. Since Larkin's death biographers have highlighted the importance of female relationships on Larkin: when Andrew Motion's biography was serialised in the Independent in 1993, the second installment of extracts was dedicated to the topic. In 1999 Ben Brown's play Larkin with Women dramatised Larkin's relationships with three of his lovers, and more recently writers such as Martin Amis have continued to comment on this subject.

Another important influence on Larkin was his long-standing friend Kingsley Amis. The biographer Richard Bradford contends that over the course of Larkin's life the relationship with Amis transformed from one of mutual appreciation and encouragement, and later Larkin "was subterraneously driven by resentment and near hatred" of Amis.