Selfies taken by Philip Larkin

Previously unpublished photographs by the poet taken of himself, his mother and lovers reveal a glimpse into his life

A selfie taken by Philip Larkin of him shaving in 1957 (The Estate of Philip Larkin )

For the first time, photographs, taken by the poet Philip Larkin (1922-1985), have been collected together from thousands held by the Larkin archive in Hull. Published next month in The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkin’s Photographs, this first book of his photographs will coincide with the 30th anniversary of Larkin’s death.

His photographs, the majority of which have never been seen in print, reveal a candid glimpse into his private and creative life. They include photos of Larkin’s mother, his lovers, his literary peers, as well as places that were meaningful to him – including one photograph of a seagull on the Humber foreshore.

Larkin was a serious amateur photographer and owned a Rolleiflex Automat twin lens relex camera. He also enjoyed taking self-portraits, such as a series taken on the same day in 1957 of himself shaving, having breakfast, and standing in his rented accommodation after work that evening, overlooking Pearson Park, in Hull. Often Larkin placed a large mirror behind the timed camera so that he could form an expression that suited his desired look.

One of the portraits of Larkin was taken in Scotland by his long-term lover of more than 30 years, Monica Jones, a lecturer in English at Leicester University, whose reflection can be seen in the window pane. He photographed Jones a lot, as well as his ex-fiancée, Ruth Bowman, and Maeve Brennan, his lover for 18 years, and Betty Mackereth, his secretary at Hull University and another love interest.

One of his earliest self-portraits was taken in his room at St John’s College, Oxford, where he graduated from in 1943 and where he was great friends with Kingsley Amis, who he also photographed. He even photographed Amis’s daughter, Sally, aged two, in 1956 – he had written a poem for her, “Born Yesterday”, shortly after her birth in 1954.

‘The Importance of Elsewhere: Philip Larkin’s Photographs’ by Richard Bradford is published by Frances Lincoln on 5 November, £25, hardback