E' il poeta inglese Philip Larkin, secondo Christopher Hitchens. "I once attempted a comparison and contrast between Larkin and Orwell, as exemplars of a certain style of 'Englishness.' Both men had an abiding love for the English countryside and a haunting fear of its obliteration at the hands of 'developers.' Both were openly scornful of Christianity but maintained a profound respect for the scripture and the Anglican liturgy, as well as for the masterpieces of English ecclesiastical architecture. They each cherished the famous English affection for animals ...
In somewhat different ways, Orwell and Larkin were phlegmatically pessimistic and at times almost misanthropic, not to say misogynistic. Both also originated from dire family backgrounds that inculcated prejudice against Jews, the colored subjects of the British Empire, and the working class. ... Orwell educated himself, not without difficulty, out of racial prejudice and took a stalwart position on the side of the workers. Larkin energetically hated the labour movement and was appalled at the arrival of immigrants from the Caribbean and Asia. Orwell traveled as widely as his health permitted and learned several foreign languages, while Larkin's insularity and loathing for 'abroad' were almost parodic. In consequence, Orwell has left us a memory that elevates English decency to one of humanity's versions of grace under pressure, whereas the publication of Larkin’s Selected Letters in 1992, and a biography by Andrew Motion in 1993, posthumously drenched the poet in a tide of cloacal filth and petty bigotry that was at least somewhat self-generated."
The Atlantic. 
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