Loved ones in the literary dock

‘They fuck you up, your Mum and Dad.” So ran the famous 1971 quote by Philip Larkin – a line that has been used by writers for decades now as a handy way to explain and excuse their foibles.

But it turns out that this quotation may be slightly off-target. Actually your parents may not fuck you up. Unless, of course, they happen to be writers, in which case they almost certainly will, ...