Letters of Philip Larkin to Winifred Dawson, née Arnott

Single Item

MS. Don. c. 177

Held at the Weston Library

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Letters of Philip Larkin to Winifred Arnott (later Bradshaw, later Dawson), 1951-1985 and n.d.

Dates

Creation: 1951-1985

Extent

1 box

Language of Materials

English

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. Don. c. 177, fol. 1].

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Shelfmark:

MS. Don. c. 177

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 6898, 11423

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters of Philip Larkin to Winifred Dawson née Arnott.

Biographical / Historical

Philip Arthur Larkin (1922-1985) was a poet, writer and librarian. For further details see the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Winifred Arnott was born in 1929 in Worcestershire. She studied English at Queen's University Belfast and became a cataloguer in Queen's Great Library in 1949. While working there she met and became close friends with Philip Larkin who took up a post as a sub-librarian in 1950. Arnott inspired five of Larkin's poems and they corresponded until the end of Larkin's life.

Arnott was married to Geoffrey Bradshaw from 1954 to 1976 and they had three children. In 1981 she married Grant Dawson. She died on 22 August 2014.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Folios 1-132 were purchaed in 1989 with the assistance of Bodley's American Friends. Folios 133-160 were bequeathed to the Bodleian by Winifred Dawson in 2014.