Irving Layton

Irving Layton ( born March 12, 1912 in Târgu Neamţ, Romania, † January 4, 2006 in Montreal, actually Israel Pincu Lazarovici ) was a native of Romania, Canadian poet and author. In his works he treats Jewish- Canadian experience.

Layton's family immigrated to Canada in 1913. He studied at Macdonald College ( B.Sc., 1939) and McGill University ( MA, 1946). During World War II he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, from 1945 to 1960, he worked as a teacher and high school teacher in Montreal. From 1970 to 1978 he was a professor of literature at York University in Toronto.

Layton's poems are lyrical and romantic in tone and classic in shape. His early works Here and Now (1945 ) and Now Is the Place (1948 ) contain descriptive poetry. In In the Midst of My Fever ( 1954) and The Cold Green Element (1955 ) he expresses his hatred of the bourgeoisie. He was of the opinion that poets should disturb and unsettle their readers. Later he turned away from social satire to worry about the human condition.

Works

Poetry:

  • Here and Now (1945 )
  • Now Is the Place (1948 )
  • In the Midst of My Fever ( 1954)
  • The Cold Green Element (1955 )
  • A Red Carpet for the Sun (1959 )
  • The Swinging Flesh (1961 )
  • Balls for a One- Armed Juggler (1963 )
  • For My Brother Jesus (1976 )
  • For My Neighbours in Hell ( 1980)
  • Europe and Other Bad News (1981 )
  • Collected Poems (1965 )

Prose:

  • Exposures ( 1972)
  • Taking Sides (1978 )
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