Sydney Goodsir Smith
Sydney Goodsir Smith (1915-1975) was a notable New Zealand-born poet, writer, and art critic who significantly impacted Scottish literature. Born in Wellington to an academic family, Smith's early life included time spent in Egypt before he attended various schools in the UK, where he encountered the Scots language. His academic journey led him to study medicine at Edinburgh University and later to an M.A. in history from Oxford, although he struggled with health issues that prevented him from entering military service.
Smith began writing poetry influenced by Hugh MacDiarmid, embracing the Scots language as a literary medium. His first collection, "Skail Wind," was published in 1941, blending English and Scots, while his later works, such as "The Deevil's Waltz" and "So Late into the Night," showcased his mastery of the Scots language. Known for both love and war poetry, Smith also ventured into prose with "Carotid Cornucopius," a complex work inspired by James Joyce. His contributions to literature earned him several awards, and he is often seen as a successor to MacDiarmid, though his style is noted for its personal touch. Smith’s legacy continues to be recognized in the context of Scottish poetry, reflecting both his unique voice and cultural influences.
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Subject Terms
Sydney Goodsir Smith
Fiction and Nonfiction Writer, Playwright and Poet
- Born: October 26, 1915
- Birthplace: Wellington, New Zealand
- Died: January 5, 1975
Biography
Sydney Goodsir Smith was born October 26, 1915, in Wellington, New Zealand. His father, Sydney Smith, was an Edinburgh professor of forensic medicine. His mother was Catherine Goodsir Galenik Smith. He spent his early childhood in Egypt. Around the age of seven, he went off to school, attending the preparatory school at Hillcrest in Dorset, where he was exposed to the spoken Scots language.
From 1929 to 1933, he attended the preparatory school at Malvern. He was very unhappy there because of the class distinctions. He attended Edinburgh University for one year, studying medicine, but he was poorly suited for a scientific career. In 1937, he received his M.A. in history from Oxford.
Although he wished to enter the military, he was not accepted because of health reasons: He had suffered from asthma since the age of two. Shortly after completing his degree, he settled in Scotland, where he taught English to Polish soldiers. In 1938, he married Marion Elise Welsh. The two later divorced. In 1967, he married Hazel Williamson. He had two children: one son and one daughter.
Influenced by reading the poetry of Hugh MacDiarmid, Smith began writing in the Scots language. Although he had grown up hearing this language while a young student, the language in which he wrote was more of a literary form than the actual spoken language. His first collection of poetry, Skail Wind: Poems, published in 1941, contains poems written both in English and in Scots. By the time his third collection, The Deevil’s Waltz, was published in 1946, he was writing entirely in Scots. The volume contains both war poems and love poems.
Smith’s 1947 prose work Carotid Cornucopius, influenced by James Joyce and written in the voice of a drunkard, makes for difficult reading with its playful use of language. His most critically acclaimed works include So Late into the Night: Fifty Lyrics, 1944-1948, published in 1952, and Under the Eildon Tree: A Poem in XXIV Elegies, published in 1954. His most frequently anthologized poem is “The Grace of God and the Meth-Drinker,” published in 1959 in Figs and Thistles. His verse play, The Wallace, performed in Assembly Hall, Dublin, on August 22, 1960, shows a nationalistic turn. Before becoming a poet, Smith had aspired to become a painter; during the 1960’s he served as art critic for the Scotsman. He died January 5, 1975.
Smith’s awards and prizes include a 1946 Atlantic- Rockefeller Award, a 1951 Scots poetry prize from Festival of Britain, 1956 Oscar Blumenthal Prize from Poetry, and a 1962 Thomas Urquhart Award. Although not Scottish by birth, Sydney Goodsir Smith is recognized for his contribution to Scottish literature. He is viewed as a disciple of Hugh MacDiarmid; however, his poetry is more personal, especially his best verse. He is sometimes compared to Robert Burns.