thoughts-of-phena-on-news-of-her-death

This is a crucial poem in the history of 20th century English poetry. It’s the poem that led Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) to replace W B Yeats (1865-1939) as Philp Larkin’s (1922-1985) prime poetic influence and serve as midwife to Larkin’s wonderful poems. All three poets are at the top of the rankings of 20th century…