Description

Admin History:

Raymond Laurence Brett was born in Bristol on 10 January 1917. Following wartime service at the Admiralty he spent several years as a lecturer at the University of Bristol, before being appointed to the G F Grant Chair of English at the University of Hull in 1952. He remained at Hull until his retirement in 1982.

Brett and Larkin were initially colleagues and soon friends. Brett supported Larkin through the internal politics of university committees, as well as through the building of the new Brynmor Jones Library building (obituary by Alun R. Jones in About Larkin, the newsletter of the Philip Larkin Society, no. 3. (1997), pp.26-27 https://philiplarkin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/About-Larkin-03.pdf). The letters in this collection, although few in number and mainly short, show the ease and friendship between the two men, as well as Larkin's sense of humour.

Ray Brett died on 6 December 1996.

For a full biography of Philip Larkin please see U DPL.

Description:

This small collection comprises letters written by Philip Larkin to Professor Raymond Brett, alongside Larkin's original application for the post of University Librarian at the University of Hull. Professor Brett was chair of the Library Committee at the time.