Irving Layton OC (March 12, 1912 – January 4, 2006) was a Canadian poet. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made enemies. As T. Jacobs notes in his biography (2001), Layton fought Puritanism throughout his life:

Layton's work had provided the bolt of lightning that was needed to split open the thin skin of conservatism and complacency in the poetry scene of the preceding century, allowing modern poetry to expose previously unseen richness and depth. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, ^[1]

Contents 1 Early life 2 Emerging poet: the 1930s and 1940s 3 1950s: International "stardom" 4 Later years and legacy 5 Works 6 Discography 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

Early life

On March 12, 1912, born Israel Pincu Lazarovitch in Târgu Neamţ, a small town in Romania, to Jewish parents, Moses and Klara Lazarovitch, he emigrated with his family to Montreal, Quebec in 1913 and was forced to live in the impoverished St. Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Târgu Neamţ (also spelled Tîrgu Neamţ in Romanian language) is a town in Neamţ County, Romania, on the Neamţ river equally known Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Urbain Street neighbourhood, later made famous by Mordecai Richler in his novels. Mordecai Richler ( January 27, 1931 &ndash July 3, 2001) was a Canadian author Academy Award -nominated screenwriter and There Layton and his family (his father died when he was 13) faced daily struggles with, among others, Montreal's French Canadians, who were uncomfortable with the growing numbers of Jewish newcomers. ^[2] Layton, however, identified himself not as an observant Jew but rather as a freethinker. Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that Beliefs should be formed on the basis of Science and Logic and should not be influenced

Layton graduated from Alexandra Elementary School and attended Baron Byng High School, where his life was changed when he was introduced to such poets as Alfred Lord Tennyson, Walter Scott, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and Percy Bysshe Shelley; the novelists Jane Austen and George Eliot; the essayists Francis Bacon, Oliver Goldsmith, Samuel Johnson, and Jonathan Swift; and also William Shakespeare and Charles Darwin. Baron Byng High School was located at 4251 St Urbain Street in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Alfred Tennyson 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892 was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and remains one of the most popular English poets Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4 1792 – July 8 1822 ˈpɝːsɪ ˈbɪʃ ˈʃɛlɪ was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among Jane Austen (16 Mary Ann (Marian Evans ( 22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880) better known by her Pen name George Eliot, was an Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban KC QC (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626 was an English Philosopher, Statesman, and author Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1730 or 1728 &ndash 4 April 1774 was an Anglo-Irish writer poet and Physician known for his Novel The Vicar Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 William Shakespeare ( baptised Charles Robert Darwin (February 12 1809 &ndash April 19 1882 was an English naturalist, who realised and demonstrated that all Species of life He was befriended by David Lewis and became very interested in politics and social theory. David Lewis (born Losz) CC, (June 23 or October 1909 -May 23 1981 was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician ^[3] He joined the Young People's Socialist League or YPSL (commonly pronounced "Yipsel"), which Lewis lead. Young People's Socialist League ( YPSL) is a democratic socialist youth group originally affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. ^[4] He began reading Karl Marx and Nietzsche. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15 1844 August 25 1900 ( was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist His activities in YPSL were deemed a threat to the high school administration and was asked to leave before graduating in 1930. ^[5] It was Lewis who introduced Layton to A.M. Klein. Abraham Moses Klein was a Canadian poet journalist novelist and short story writer ^[6] Lewis asked Klein to be Layton's Latin tutor so he could pass the junior matriculation exams. ^[7] Lewis gave him $10 to pay the fee for the exam and he passed. ^[8] It was also during his time with Klein that he became interested in the sound of poetry. ^[9]

Klein and I met once weekly at Fletcher's Field just across from the YHMA on Mt. Royal Avenue, and I vividly recall the first lesson: Vigil's Aeneid, Book II:I^[10]
. . . hearing Klein roll off the Virgilian hexameters in a beautiful orotund voice that rose above the traffic, I think it was then that I realized how lovely and very moving the sound of poetry could be. I must confess my Latin wasn't sufficient to appreciate the sense that Virgil was making with his marvelous hexameters, but Klein's zeal and enthusiasm, his forceful delivery, his very genuine love of language, of poetry, all came through to me at that time. And I think that was most fortunate for me. . . . ^[11]

Emerging poet: the 1930s and 1940s

In light of his limited educational opportunities, with no high school diploma, and also due to limited finances, he enrolled in Macdonald College in 1934 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture. The Macdonald Campus of McGill University ( Mac Campus) houses its Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture

While in college, he was well known in artistic circles for his anti-bourgeois attitudes and his criticism of politics. He quickly found that his true interest was poetry, so pursued a career as a poet and became friends with the emerging young poets of his day, including fellow Canadian poets John Sutherland, Raymond Souster, and Louis Dudek. John Sutherland (1919-1956 was a Canadian poet Literary critic, and Magazine editor based in Montreal, Quebec. Raymond Holmes Souster (born 15 January 1921) is a Canadian Poet. Louis Dudek ( February 6, 1918 - March 23, 2001) was a Canadian Poet and literary critic and publisher of Polish origin In the 1940s, Layton and his fellow Canadian poets rejected the older generation of poets, as well as critic Northrop Frye; their efforts helped define the tone of the post-war generation poets in Canada. Herman Northrop Frye, CC, MA (Oxon, DD, DLitt, FRSC ( July 14, 1912 &ndash January 23, 1991 Essentially, they argued that Canadian poets should set their own style, independent of British styles and influences, and should reflect the social realities of the day.

In 1936, Layton met Faye Lynch, whom he married in 1938. When Layton graduated from Macdonald College in 1939, he moved with Faye to Halifax where he worked odd jobs, including a stint as a Fuller Brush man. The City of Halifax (est 1841 is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County Soon disenchanted with his life, Layton decided, one evening, to return to Montreal. He began teaching English to recent immigrants to make ends meet and continued doing so for many years. Indecisive about his future and enraged by Hitler's violence toward Jews and destruction of European culture, Layton enlisted in the Canadian army in 1942. While serving at Petawawa, Layton met Betty Sutherland, an accomplished painter (and later poet), and a half-sister to actor Donald Sutherland. Petawawa is a Town located in the Canadian province of Ontario. Donald McNicol Sutherland OC (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian Actor with a film career spanning over 50 years Layton soon divorced Faye and married Betty. They had two children together: Max Reuben (1946) and Naomi Parker (1950). In 1943, Layton was given an honourable discharge from the army and returned to Montreal, where he became involved with several literary magazines including the seminal Northern Review, which he co-edited with John Sutherland. A literary magazine is a Periodical devoted to Literature in a broad sense Northern Review was a Montreal -based Literary magazine published in Canada between 1945 and 1956. John Sutherland may refer to John Sutherland (author John Sutherland (Canadian writer (1919-1956 John Sutherland (physician

Layton's involvement with David Lewis and the Young People's Socialist League matured into being active in the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation(Lewis was the National Secretary at the time). David Lewis (born Losz) CC, (June 23 or October 1909 -May 23 1981 was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician Young People's Socialist League ( YPSL) is a democratic socialist youth group originally affiliated with the Socialist Party of America. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF (French Fédération du commonwealth coopératif, then Parti social démocratique du Canada) was a Canadian Because of his YSPL activities he was blacklisted in the 1930s and banned from entering the United States for the next two decades. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the While for a time he still considered himself a Marxist, he became anti-Communist at the lectures Lewis gave at YPSL ^[12] and broke with many on the left with his support of the Vietnam War. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Anti-communism refers to opposition to Communism. Historically the word "communism" has been used to refer to several types of communal social organization and The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (Source: Toronto Star, January 5, 2006)

1950s: International "stardom"

By the mid-1950s, Layton's activism and poetry had made him a staple on the CBC televised debating program "Fighting Words," where he earned a reputation as a formidable debater. Events 1477 - Battle of Nancy: Charles the Bold is killed and Burgundy becomes part of France. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The publication of "A Red Carpet For The Sun" in 1959 secured Layton's national reputation while the many books of poetry which followed eventually gave him an international reputation. This reputation, however, was never as high in the United States and Britain as it was in some countries where Layton was read in translation.

In 1946 Layton received an M. A. in economics and political science from McGill (with a thesis on Harold Laski). Harold Joseph Laski ( June 30, 1893 &ndash March 24, 1950) was an English Political theorist, Economist, Author Three years later he began teaching English, history, and political science at the Jewish parochial high school, Herzliah (a branch of the United Talmud Torahs of Montreal). United Talmud Torahs of Montreal is a private Jewish day school system that includes an elementary and a High school on two campuses One located in the He was an influential teacher, and some of his students became writers and artists. Among his students were poet/songwriter Leonard Cohen and television magnate Moses Znaimer. Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter Moses Znaimer (born 1942) is a co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Canada, and the current Layton continued to teach for the greater part of his life: as a teacher of modern English and American poetry at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) and as a tenured professor at Toronto's York University in the 1970s, as well as delivering many lectures and readings throughout Canada. Concordia University is a comprehensive Public university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Concordia University is a comprehensive Public university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. York University (Université York is a public Research university located in Toronto, Ontario. Layton pursued his Ph. D. in 1948 though he abandoned it due to the demands of his already hectic professional life.

In the late 1950s, friends introduced Layton to Aviva Cantor (who had emigrated to Montreal from her native Australia in 1955). Aviva Cantor (born 1940 is a journalist lecturer and author An advocate of Feminism and the democratization of Jewish communal life Canotor has been actively After several years of painful indecision, Layton and Betty separated and Layton moved in with Aviva. The two had a son, David, in 1964. Though Layton remained legally married to Betty, his relationship with Aviva lasted more than twenty years, only ending in the late 1970s when Aviva left.

Later years and legacy

It was in the immediate aftermath of this experience that Layton finally divorced Betty and, after a whirlwind courtship, married Harriet Bernstein, a former student. In 1981, a daughter, Samantha Clara, was born. The marriage was short-lived, however, and ended in a bitterly contested divorce. Layton then met Anna (Annette) Pottier, and invited her to be his housekeeper. It soon became apparent that she would play a far greater role in his life. Although 48 years his junior, she became his fifth and last wife. They lived briefly in Niagara-on-the-Lake in the fall of 1982, then spent nearly a year in Oakville, Ontario, before moving, at the end of 1983, to the Montreal neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. It was here that Layton wrote his Memoir "Waiting For the Messiah" and, with Anna's support, saw to the publication of his final books and translations. The couple eventually agreed that Anna needed to begin a life of her own, and she moved out on March 1, 1995. Friends took care of Layton after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease ( AD) also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common form of Dementia. He died at the Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Montreal at the age of 93 on January 4, 2006. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Throughout the 1950s and on into the early 1990s, Layton travelled widely abroad and became especially popular in South Korea and Italy, and in 1981 these two nations nominated him for the Nobel Prize for Literature. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred (The prize that year was instead awarded to novelist Gabriel García Márquez. Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez (born March 6 1927 is a Colombian ) Among his many awards during his career was the Governor-General's Award for A Red Carpet for the Sun in 1959. In 1976 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin He was the first non-Italian to be awarded the Petrarch Award for Poetry, an Italian award to recognize a poet's talent. ^[2]

In his lifetime, Layton attracted some criticism for his bluster, self-promotion and long-windedness. He is remembered by many as one of the first Canadian rebels of poetry, politics, and philosophy. Rebellion is a refusal of obedienceIt may therefore be seen as encompassing a range of Behaviours from Civil disobedience and mass Nonviolent resistance At Layton's funeral, Leonard Cohen, Moses Znaimer and David Solway were among those who gave eulogies. Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter Moses Znaimer (born 1942) is a co-founder and former head of Citytv, the first independent television station in Toronto, Canada, and the current David Solway (born 8 December 1941) is a Canadian Poet, educational theorist Travel writer and literary critic of He is considered Leonard Cohen's literary mentor -- and some would argue spiritual guru. A guru (गुरु গুরু is a person who is regarded as having great knowledge wisdom and authority in a certain area and uses it to guide others

Leonard Cohen once said of him, "I taught him how to dress, and he taught me how to live forever. " Layton wrote more than forty books. While many of his later poems are mediocre in quality, he also wrote some indisputably fine work. "A Tall Man Executes a Jig" is representative of Layton at his best.

Works

• Here and Now — 1947
• Now Is The Place — 1948
• The Black Huntsmen: Poems — 1951
• Love the Conqueror Worm — 1953
• The Long Pea-Shooter — 1954
• In the Midst of My Fever — 1954
• The Blue Propeller — 1955
• The Cold Green Element — 1955
• The Bull Calf and Other Poems — 1956
• The Improved Binoculars: Selected Poems — 1956
• Music on a Kazoo — 1956
• A Laughter in the Mind — 1959
• A Red Carpet for the Sun — 1959
• The Swinging Flesh — 1961
• Balls for a One-Armed Juggler — 1963
• The Laughing Rooster — 1964
• Collected Poems — 1965
• Periods of the Moon: Poems — 1967
• The Shattered Plinths — 1968
• Selected Poems — 1969
• The Whole Bloody Bird — 1969
• Poems to Color — 1970
• Nailpolish — 1971
• The Collected Poems of Irving Layton — 1971
• Lovers and Lesser Men — 1972
• The Pole-Vaulter — 1974
• Seventy-five Greek Poems, 1951-1974 — 1974
• The Darkening Fire: Selected Poems, 1945-1968 — 1975
• The Unwavering Eye: Selected Poems, 1969-1975 — 1975
• The Uncollected Poems of Irving Layton: 1936-59 — 1976
• For my Brother Jesus — 1976
• The Selected Poems of Irving Layton — 1977
• The Covenant — 1977
• The Tightrope Dancer — 1979
• Droppings from Heaven — 1979
• The Tamed Puma — 1979
• An Unlikely Affair: The Irving Layton - Dorothy Rath Correspondence - 1980
• For My Neighbours in Hell — 1980
• Europe And Other Bad News — 1981
• A Wild Peculiar Joy: Selected Poems, 1945-82 — 1982
• "There Were No Signs" from A Wild Peculiar Joy, online at CBC Words at Large
• Shadows on the Ground: A Portfolio — 1982
• The Gucci Bag — 1983
• The Love Poems of Irving Layton: With Reverence & Delight — 1984
• Fortunate Exile — 1987
• Final Reckoning: Poems, 1982-1986 — 1987
• Wild Gooseberries: The Selected Letters of Irving Layton — 1989
• Irving Layton and Robert Creeley: The Complete Correspondence, 1953-1978 — 1990
• Dance With Desire: Selected Love Poems — 1992

Discography

• Celebration: Famous Canadian Poets CD Canadian Poetry Association — 2001 ISBN 1-55253-029-9 (with Earle Birney) (CD#1)

Notes

References

• Caplan, Usher (1982). Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Like one that dreamed : a portrait of A. M. Klein. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc, ( is a Publicly traded corporation headquartered in Rockefeller Center in New York City. ISBN 007548451X.  

• Deveau, Scott. "Canadian poet Irving Layton dies at 93", The Globe and Mail. January 4, 2006. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

• Layton, Irving (1986). Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Waiting for the Messiah : a memoir / Irving Layton with David O'Rourke. Toronto: Totem Press. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario ISBN 0002176599 (pbk. ).  
• Smith, Cameron (1989). Unfinished Journey: The Lewis Family. Toronto: Summerhill Press. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario ISBN 0-929091-04-3.  

External links

• Order of Canada Citation
• Irving Layton's Home Page maintained by the University of Toronto
• Irving Layton's entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia

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