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Home / Poet: Irving Layton Observed - DVD

Poet: Irving Layton Observed - DVD ONF/NFB


Catalogue Number:  NFB524613
Producer:  National Film Board Of Canada
Producers:  William Brind, Barrie Howells
Directors:  Donald Winkler
Producing Agencies:  National Film Board of Canada (Montreal)
Subject:  Canadian Literature, Documentary, English, Literature
Language:  English
Country Of Origin:  Canada
Copyright Year:  1986
Running Time:  52:03


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Canadian poet Irving Layton has always masked himself in controversy. Here, in front of the camera, he unexpectedly agrees to be unmasked. In sharp, evocative images, the private Layton responds to the world of experience from Montréal to Greece. The camera captures him in the very process of transforming such moments into poetry. The 1981 Nobel nominee not only reads and explicates his own writings, but also speaks incisively about Canadian literature itself, defining it metaphorically as a "double hook" that combines "beauty and terror." It is the singular achievement of this film to actually show such art emerging as Layton transforms incidents of his life into words that may last. The poet is truly observed.


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