Talking in Bed

“Talking in Bed” is a lyric poem by English post-World War II poet Philip Larkin, published in Larkin’s collection, The Whitsun Weddings, in 1964. Larkin began writing the poem in September 1959; he went through many drafts before finishing the poem in August 1960. Thematically, this pessimistic poem is typical of Larkin’s work, which often concerns the difficulties of love. In the poem, two people are unable to maintain a close relationship in which they are able to communicate honestly, revealing that the love they once had for each other has died. The poem also contains traditional elements like rhyme and meter that are typical of Larkin’s work. The plain language of “Talking in Bed” reveals Larkin’s belief that poetry should be intelligible to everyone.

Poet Biography

England’s most popular poet of the second half of the twentieth century, Philip Larkin was born on August 9, 1922, in Coventry, Warwickshire, in the English Midlands. He was the son of Sydney Larkin, who was the Coventry city treasurer, and Eva Larkin. Philip had one sister, Catherine, who was ten years older than him. When he was a boy, Larkin’s father encouraged him to read English poetry and novels, and he also inspired in Larkin a lifelong interest in jazz.