Poets Andrew Motion and Kate Clanchy discuss Philip Larkin and his collection The Whitsun Weddings, which was first published 50 years ago in 1964.
Andrew Motion was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009. He was knighted for his services to poetry in 2009. He became a friend of Philip Larkin when he taught at the University of Hull and was appointed one of Philip Larkin’s literary executors. His biography of Larkin – A Writer’s life won the Whitbread Prize for Biography.
Kate Clanchy won the Forward Poetry Prize for a first collection for her book, Slattern; she won the BBC National Short Story Award in 2009 and last year her novel, Meeting the English took the Costa prize for a first novel.
