Since his death in 1985, Philip Larkin's reputation as a writer has undergone a profound and dramatic transformation. With the publication of a candid biography, a controversial collection of letters and a comprehensive edition of the poems, the abiding interests and concerns of Larkin criticism have been radically altered. At the same time, the impact of literary theory has brought a new set of critical perspectives and approaches to bear on the poetry. The essays in this volume abandon the tired cliches of an older critical consensus and offer a lively, provocative response to such issues as sexual politics, national identity and post-colonialism in the work of a writer widely regarded as the best Poet Laureate Britain never had.