2003-05-26
... ? Guardian Unlimited Books | News | Larkin's ribald blues lyrics unearthed in wartime lettersPhilip Larkin, the poet reviled by his critics as "a gloomy old sod", had a secret life as an eloquent and ribald composer of jazz blues lyrics, it was revealed at the weekend. The first two of what is thought to be a trove of lyrics - in which the fastidious bard of Anglican churches, death and uncertain love sang the blues with uninhibited glee - were premiered to a surprised but captivated audience at the National Jazz Archive in Loughton, Essex.
