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The Mower
The Mower is a poem by British poet Philip Larkin, written on 12 June 1979.Larkin, Philip (2004). ''Collected Poems''. Edited by Anthony Thwaite. London: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, It was first published in ''Humberside'', the Hull Literary Club magazine, in Autumn 1979. The poem describes a moment when the speaker accidentally killed a hedgehog with his lawn mower while mowing his lawn. Author Maeve Brennan recalled an earlier incident in which Larkin had deliberately killed a hedgehog with his car, and his guilt about it. She linked that incident with the later poem.Brennan, Maeve (2002). ''The Philip Larkin I Knew,'' p. 64. Manchester University Press, Author Sisir Kumar Chatterjee writes that the poem embodies Larkin's themes of "mutual care, sympathy, and kindness."Chatterjee Sisir Kumar (2006). ''Philip Larkin: Poetry That Build Bridges.'' Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, Janice Rossen notes this is a recurring theme in his work, citing the similar suffering of a dying ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1947). He came to prominence in 1955 with the publication of his second collection of poems, '' The Less Deceived'', followed by '' The Whitsun Weddings'' (1964) and '' High Windows'' (1974). He contributed to ''The Daily Telegraph'' as its jazz critic from 1961 to 1971, with his articles gathered in ''All What Jazz: A Record Diary 1961–71'' (1985), and edited '' The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse'' (1973). His many honours include the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was offered, but declined, the position of Poet Laureate in 1984, following the death of Sir John Betjeman. After graduating from Oxford University in 1943 with a first in English Language and Literature, Larkin became a librarian. It was during the thirt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia and no living species native to the Americas. However, the extinct genus '' Amphechinus'' was once present in North America. Hedgehogs share distant ancestry with shrews (family Soricidae), with gymnures possibly being the intermediate link, and they have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals, they have adapted to a nocturnal way of life. Their spiny protection resembles that of porcupines, which are rodents, and echidnas, a type of monotreme. Etymology The name ''hedgehog'' came into use around the year 1450, derived from the Middle English , from , , because it frequents hedgerows, and , , from its piglike snout. Other names that are used are ''urchin' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lawn Mower
A lawn mower (also known as a grass cutter or simply mower, also often spelled lawnmower) is a device utilizing one or more revolving blades (or a reel) to cut a lawn, grass surface to an even height. The height of the cut grass may be fixed by the mower's design but generally is adjustable by the operator, typically by a single master lever or by a mechanism on each of the machine's wheels. The blades may be powered by manual force, with wheels mechanically connected to the cutting blades so that the blades spin when the mower is pushed forward, or the machine may have a Battery (electricity), battery-powered or AC power plugs and sockets, plug-in electric motor. The most common self-contained power source for lawn mowers is a small four-stroke engine, 4-stroke (typically Single-cylinder engine, one-cylinder) internal combustion engine. Smaller mowers often lack any form of self-propulsion, requiring human power to move over a surface; "walk-behind" mowers are self-propelled, re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relationships That Influenced Philip Larkin
Throughout the life of the poet Philip Larkin, multiple women had important roles which were significant influences on his poetry. Since Larkin's death in 1985, 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, continued to comment on this subject. Amis is the son of the British novelist, and Larkin's long-standing friend, Kingsley Amis. While primarily a novelist, Amis also wrote more than six volumes of poetry. Biographer Richard Bradford contends that, over the course of Larkin's life, his relationship with Amis transformed from one of mutual appreciation and encouragement, to a much more fraught dynamic. Bradford has stated that in the later years of their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Less Deceived
''The Less Deceived'', first published in 1955, was Philip Larkin's first mature collection of poetry, having been preceded by the derivative ''North Ship'' (1945) from The Fortune Press and a privately printed collection, a small pamphlet titled ''XX Poems'', which Larkin mailed to literary critics and authors. Larkin was unaware that postal rates had gone up, and most recipients, when asked to pay the difference for delivery of a pamphlet by a little-known writer, turned them away; only around 100 copies were printed. Despite this setback, 13 of the 20 poems, together with 16 new poems, were finally published to much acclaim in 1955 as ''The Less Deceived'', which was selected as a book of the year by the ''Times Literary Supplement'' and immediately went through several impressions. Put out by The Marvell Press, a small operation run by George Hartley and his wife Jean Hartley in Hessle, East Yorkshire, the book through the depth of its appeal, the formal skill of its verse, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Hull
The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull York Medical School, a joint initiative with the University of York. Students are served by Hull University Union. The first chancellor of the university was Michael Willoughby, 11th Baron Middleton, Lord Middleton (1954–1969), followed by Henry Cohen, 1st Baron Cohen of Birkenhead, Lord Cohen (1970–1977), Richard Wilberforce, Baron Wilberforce, Lord Wilberforce (1978–1994), Robert Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster, Lord Armstrong (1994–2006) and Virginia Bottomley (Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone) (2006–2023). Alan Johnson was installed as the current chancellor in July 2023. History University College The foundation stone of University College Hull, then an external college of the University of London, was laid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victa Lawn Mower
Victa is an Australian manufacturer of outdoor garden equipment, including petrol, electric, and battery-powered lawn mowers, edgers, String trimmer, trimmers, and chainsaws. The brand is best known as a manufacturer of rotary lawn mowers. In the early 1960s the company also built light aircraft, notably the Victa Airtourer, and project homes. Since 2008 and the Victa brand is owned by the American engine manufacturer Briggs & Stratton. In Australia and New Zealand, Victa products are sold through major hardware chains and specialist dealers, and some products are available through dealers in other countries. History The Victa company was founded by Mervyn Victor Richardson in 1952. The name was derived from his middle name. Lawn mowers Mervyn's son Garry mowed lawns to earn money in university holidays. Garry borrowed Mervyn's Victa 14" cylinder-based power mower which was heavy to transport and to operate. Mervyn wanted to design a new mower for his son's business. Mervyn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Writer's Almanac
''The Writer's Almanac'' is a daily podcast and newsletter of poetry and historical interest pieces, usually of literary significance. Begun as a radio program in 1993,David Kipen ''Los Angeles Times'', April 18, 1993. it is hosted by Garrison Keillor and was produced and distributed by American Public Media through November 2017. It is also available as a podcast. Past program sponsors include The Poetry Foundation (using funds from a large bequest from philanthropist Ruth Lilly), publisher of ''Poetry Magazine'' and The Mosaic Foundation of Rita and Peter Heydon. Each program is at least five minutes long and begins with the phrase "And here is the Writer's Almanac for nsert date here. Each program includes vignettes about authors and other noteworthy people whose birthdays or significant events coincide with the program's date, as well as excerpts of important events in history. The program continues with one or more poems chosen by Keillor, and ends with Keillor's traditiona ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
