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PHILIP LARKIN: Letters Found; Andrew Motion (Biographer/Poet Laureate) interview SOT - have letter written on 4th April 1948 from family home in Warwick/ his father has just died/ he says 'my holiday was rather as I expected, my father grew steadily worse and died on Good Friday, since then mother and I have been hopelessly looking at the stock in the house/ this morning I shifted 100 tons of jam, 1945, 1946 and 1947 years - and about kilner jars of bottled fruit, seventeen dozen boxes of matches, a shoe box of chocolate'/ this is just after the war CMS Copy of Larkin poem 'An April Sunday brings the snow' (alluding to stocktaking mentioned in letter) Andrew Motion (Biographer/Poet Laureate) interview SOT - he's talking here about writing letters of sympathy to people who had written to him - 'otherwise I've been steadily answering letters of sympathy. It's curious how the letters start sincere and sound sincere but when I had written 20 or so I didn't sound sincere and not sure I was being sincere'/ I think this is where he gets into trouble with some readers, he's always prepared to say the thing he feels is true even though he might tread on people's toes CS & CMS Detail of letter 'dearest bun' CMS Detail of letter containing draft of one of his poems CMSs Details of cards, featuring rabbits, Larkin sent to Jones (2 shots) CMS & CS Sketch of rabbit in one letter Alice Phipps (Bernard Quaritch Antiquarian Booksellers) interview SOT - (quotes from card) 'snow on St Valentines day, but it will go away, my love is not like snow, it will not go'/ is very sweet and warm CMS Beatrix Potter card featuring rabbit CS message inside card 'We all hop you have a good birthday Mrs Rabbet and oblige' Phipps SOT - that's very typical of the rabbit ones - she would normally get at least three for Christmas, one from Larkin, one from rabbits, one from the bird, one from Dr Pussy/ often same would apply to birthdays and Valentines Day