Larson, Clinton F.

Mormon poet and author.

Clinton F. Larson (1919-1994) was a respected and prolific Mormon writer. He is especially known for his poetry and plays. He was also an English professor at Brigham Young University for 38 years.

Clinton F. Larson, BYU English Professor and poet-in-residence for thirty-eight years, dedicated serious effort to the craft of poetry. Author of several volumes of poems, including The Lord of Experience, Counterpoint, The conversions of God, Centennial Portraits, Selected Poems of Clinton F. Larson, and Sunwind, he was also a prolific playwright. Most of his plays are poetic dramas and range from serious religious works ( The Mantle of the Prophet ) to satirical comedies underscoring the foibles of modern times, to children's fantasies.

During the 1960s Larson wrote the narrative for The Illustrated Stories from the Book of Mormon, a sixteen-volume work. Other achievements include editing with William Stafford Modern Poetry of Western America and, with Andre Maurois, La Poesie Contemporaine aux Etats-Unis .

He was one of the founders of BYU Studies, the Rocky Mountain Writers' Convention, and the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Clinton F. Larson was--in the words of his editor, colleague, and friend David L. Evans--"one of the most significant and highly-respected Mormon writers of our time and also one of the most prolific."