Reflections on the place of Larkin

Summary The close association of the poet Larkin with the city of Hull has induced references to Larkinland, though commercial exploitation of this concept is very limited. This paper examines Larkin's sense of place and explores his relationship with Hull and its environs. In drawing on his own personal landscapes, Larkin intermittently involves the reader in the pleasure of recognition. For the inhabitant of Hull, some poems have added value. 'Here' paints an evocative picture of Hull in the 1950s, but also links to the interpretation of Larkin as the poet of provincial England. However, Larkinland, either as Hull or as provincial mid-century England, has a slender basis.