Betty Smith
Betty Smith was an influential American author born in Brooklyn, known for her exploration of life's challenges through her writing. She began her academic journey studying writing at the University of Michigan, where she gained recognition in the early 1930s for her short plays and fiction, winning the prestigious Avery Hopwood competition. Furthering her education at the Yale School of Drama, Smith honed her craft with notable support from fellowships awarded by prominent organizations.
Her most acclaimed work, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," published in 1943, brought her widespread recognition, celebrated for its lyrical portrayal of naturalistic themes and authentic dialogue. This novel vividly captures the struggles and resilience of a young girl growing up in a working-class family in early 20th-century Brooklyn. Smith later adapted her beloved novel into a musical with George Abbott, expanding her creative horizons. Although she wrote several other novels, including "Tomorrow Will Be Better" and "Maggie-Now," none attained the same level of acclaim as her debut. Smith’s literary contributions continue to resonate, reflecting the complexities of life and the human experience.
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Subject Terms
Betty Smith
American novelit
- Born: December 15, 1896
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: January 17, 1972
- Place of death: Shelton, Connecticut
Biography
Betty Smith was born in Brooklyn and went to college in Michigan. Enrolled as a part-time student at the University of Michigan, she studied writing, particularly playwriting, almost exclusively. In 1930 she published two short plays in a volume written by drama students at Michigan, and in 1931 she won the first prize of one thousand dollars in the Avery Hopwood competition, mainly for her work in fiction. Even then she was developing the material she used later in her novels; one of her winning stories was called “Death of a Singing Waiter.”
She continued her studies at the Yale School of Drama and was awarded playwriting fellowships by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Dramatists’ Guild. Although she published or produced more than seventy one-act plays, it was not until the publication of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn that she received widespread public recognition. The novel was praised mainly for its lyrical treatment of naturalistic subject matter and for its realistic dialogue. She collaborated with George Abbott to write a musical version for the stage.
She again turned from her interest in drama to writing novels, returning to the Irish section of Brooklyn for her settings. Yet she never equaled her first success, which, many critics believe, overshadowed her subsequent books.
Author Works
Long Fiction:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 1943
Tomorrow Will Be Better, 1947
Maggie-Now, 1958
Joy in the Morning, 1963
Drama:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, pr., pb. 1951 (musical; with George Abbott; adaptation of her novel)
Bibliography
Gelfant, Blanche H. “Sister to Faust: The City’s ‘Hungry’ Woman as Heroine.” Women Writers and the City: Essays in Feminist Literary Criticism. Edited by Susan Merrill Squier, U of Tennessee P, 1984. An essay on female protagonists seeking "freedom, autonomy, and self-definition" in the city in novels such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Ginsberg, Elaine K. “Betty Wehner Smith.” American Women Writers: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial Times to the Present. Edited by Lina Mainiero, 4 vols., Frederick Ungar, 1982. A brief biography and overview of Smith's works.
Pearlman, Mickey. “Betty Smith.” Biographical Dictionary of Contemporary Catholic Writing. Edited by Daniel J. Tynan, Greenwood Press, 1989. A biographical-critical essay particularly dealing with Catholicism in Smith's works.