Layton, Irving (1912-2006), was a Canadian poet. He wrote forceful poems that praise creativity and energy. In much of his poetry, Layton opposed the crippling puritanism he saw in society. In his rage, his language is often obscene. However, Layton also wrote delicate love lyrics.
Layton wrote over 50 volumes of poetry, beginning with Here and Now (1945). He won the 1959 Governor General’s Award for poetry for A Red Carpet for the Sun. Major collections of his work include The Collected Poems of Irving Layton and The Uncollected Poems of Irving Layton (both 1977), A Wild and Peculiar Joy: Selected Poems, 1945-1989 (1989), Fornalutx: Selected Poems, 1928-1990 (1992), and Dance with Desire: Selected Love Poems (1993). Layton’s best essays are collected in Taking Sides (1977). With David O’Rourke, he wrote Waiting for the Messiah: A Memoir (1985).
Layton was born Israel Pincu Lazarovitch on March 12, 1912, in Tirgu Neamt, Romania, and came to Montreal as a child. He influenced Canadian verse as a critic, editor, and teacher. Layton died on Jan. 4, 2006.
