Description

Admin History:

Maeve Brennan was born in Beverley in 1929 and attended St Mary's High School for Girls in Hull. In 1951 she graduated from University College Hull (now University of Hull) with a degree in History, French and English. After working for Hull City Library for two years, in 1953 she took up a post at the University library (later the Brynmor Jones Library). Having qualified as a librarian, she took charge of periodical acquisitions, a post in which she continued until retirement in 1985.

In 1955 Philip Larkin became University Librarian. The story of Maeve Brennan's professional, social and romantic relationship with Larkin is told in her memoir 'The Philip Larkin I Knew' published in 2002.

Following Larkin's death in 1985, Maeve Brennan was a founder member of the Philip Larkin Society, became its deputy chair and helped to edit its journal 'About Larkin'. She was instrumental in the acquisition of Larkin's letters to Jim Sutton for the University Archives. She was an adviser for the BBC2 drama 'Love Again' based on Larkin's life in Hull and took part in a Channel 4 documentary 'Philip Larkin: Love and Death in Hull', broadcast shortly after her death in June 2003.

Description:

Papers relating to the life of Maeve Brennan and in particular her relationship with the poet and librarian Philip Larkin. U DMB/1 includes correspondence between Larkin and Maeve Brennan, and between Maeve Brennan and various other correspondents. Correspondence generally relates to Larkin, his works and works about him, Maeve's works relating to Larkin, the Philip Larkin archives at Hull University Archives, personal news, and news of family and friends. U DMB/2 includes subject files relating to Larkin, works by and about him, exhibitions on Larkin, the television drama 'Love Again', and the play 'Larkin with Women'. U DMB/3 contains works by Maeve Brennan relating to Larkin, in particular her book 'The Philip Larkin I Knew'. U DMB/4 contains files relating to the Philip Larkin Society, including society minutes, conference papers, correspondence, event papers, and other administrative papers. U DMB/5 contains audio-visual material relating to Larkin and radio appearances by Maeve Brennan. A seriesof diaries kept by Maeve Brennan are at U DMB/6, photographs at U DMB/7 and a small number of personal items can be found at U DMB/8.