Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart was a Canadian writer born in 1913 in Ottawa, Ontario. She came from a well-off family and enjoyed a privileged upbringing, which included attending private school and socializing with influential literary and political figures. After studying briefly at King’s College in London, Smart spent the 1930s traveling across Europe and engaging in various artistic endeavors, including a brief stint as a society reporter. A pivotal moment in her life came when she discovered the poetry of George Barker, leading to a complicated love affair that resulted in four children, though they never married due to Barker's commitment to his wife.
Smart is perhaps best known for her 1945 work, *By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept*, which has sparked ongoing debate regarding its classification as a novel or a poem. Critics have also proposed that Smart developed a unique writing style, merging elements of a novel and personal journal. Throughout her career, she contributed to various publications and held editorial positions, including at *Vogue* and *Queen* magazines. Elizabeth Smart's life and work reflect a deep exploration of personal and artistic identity, making her a significant figure in Canadian literature.
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Subject Terms
Elizabeth Smart
- Born: December 27, 1913
- Birthplace: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Died: March 4, 1986
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Canadian writer Elizabeth Smart was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1913. She was the daughter of successful patent and trade lawyer, Russell Smart, and his wife, Louise, who was a well-known hostess and party-giver. Because of her family’s social standing, Smart socialized with prominent literary and political figures in Ottawa. As a child, she led a privileged life attending a private school in Cobourg, Ontario, and spending her summers at Kingsmere, where her family owned a summer home. She attended King’s College at the University of London for a year.
During the 1930’s, Smart traveled back and forth from Europe to Ottawa. She studied music for some time in London, and she visited France, Sweden, and Germany. For a time, she served as a companion to a wealthy older woman with whom she traveled extensively throughout the world. Smart returned to Ottawa, and briefly worked as a society reporter for The Ottawa Journal. After leaving the newspaper, she traveled through New York, California, and Mexico in search of adventure.
While browsing through a London book store, she happened to find a volume of poetry by George Barker. After reading the book, Smart was inspired by Barker’s poetry, and she became determined to meet him. A meeting between the two was arranged by a literary contact in California. This meeting was the beginning of a long and tragic love affair. Although Smart was to have four children by Barker, they never married because, as a Catholic, he would not divorce his wife.
In 1941, Smart went to Pender Harbour, British Columbia, where she gave birth to her first child, and completed the manuscript for her book, By Grand Central Station, I Sat Down and Wept. After the birth of her child, she briefly joined Barker in the United States, working as a file clerk in the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. After becoming pregnant with her second child, she followed Barker to England during World War II, and obtained worked at the Ministry of Defense. However, she was fired from her job because of her pregnancy. Following the war, Smart supported herself and her children by writing and advertising work.
In 1963, Smart became a literary and associate editor for Vogue and Queen magazines. She published a poetry collection, A Bonus, and her second novel, The Assumption of Rogues and Rascals, in 1948. Between 1982 and 1983, she was the writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta. Except for a few brief periods, Smart spent the remainder of her life in London.
Ever since its initial publication in 1945, there has been debate has centered on Smart’s most important work, By Grand Central Station I Sat and Wept. The debate focuses on whether the work should be considered as a novel or a poem. Other critics have argued that Smart created a new form of writing, a novel-journal, because she made most of her notes for the book in various journals before combining them into a single work. Regardless of how the work is viewed, it is one woman’s poignant attempt to come to terms with her life.