Remembering Canadian poet Irving Layton, a century after his birth
“For me, that is what literature is all about, what poetry is all about: to waken people’s consciousnesses, to make them aware of the dark abysses in their own souls.”
It’s been more than six years since Irving Layton passed away at the age of 93. As the Toronto Star‘s Martin Knelman noted on Tuesday, Layton asked in his will that his grave site go unmarked. Next week, though, marks the centenary of Layton’s birth on March 12, 1912, in Romania.
The country he moved to as an infant won’t let that occasion go unmarked. To celebrate Layton’s life, and the contributions he made to Canadian poetry, events are taking place across the country next week, including celebrations in:
- Toronto, March 14, 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Harbourfront Centre; participants include Margaret Atwood, Barry Callaghan, Leonard Cohen (by video), Scott Griffin, Joe Kertes, Max Layton, Dennis Lee, Michael Mirolla, Jacob McArthur Mooney, Anna Porter (by video), Robert Priest, John Rammell, Julie Roorda, Rosemary Sullivan, Elizabeth Trott, Priscila Uppal, Fred Wah, and Moses Znaimer. Get tickets here.
- Montreal, March 11, 7 to 10 p.m.; participants include Mark Abley, Jason Camlot, Anne Cimon, Mary di Michele, Gabe Foreman, Catherine Kidd, Steve Luxton, Carolyn Marie Souaid, Guy Sprung, and Gillian Sze, Tyrone Benskin, and Claude Beausoleil. More info here.
- Vancouver, March 11, 3 to 6 p.m.; 10 poets will take five minutes each to either read Irving’s poems or share personal anecdotes. More info here.
- Halifax, March 12, 7 to 10:30 p.m.; readers will include Phanuel Antwi, Brian Bartlett, Alice Burdick, Nate Crawford, Liane Heller, Matt Huculak, Carole Langille, Nanci Lee, Travis Mason, Michael Pacey, David Rimmington, and Andy Wainwright. More info here.
…And many more. See if there’s one happening closer to you here.
Besides producing great poetry and mentoring the likes of Leonard Cohen and Al Purdy, Layton also spoke his mind, just as boldly as he wrote. In the video above, watch him talk about Toronto, “a place for acquaintances…but not for friendships”; Montreal, where he says he had a carefully cultivated “slew of enemies” who “help define his literary personality”; why he stayed in Canada instead of moving to the U.S., as some of his peers did; and the power of poetry and literature to change us as individuals and as a society. What a guy.
