Florence Margaret
"Stevie" Smith
(1902-1971)
"All poetry has to do is to make a strong communication. All the poet has to do is listen. The poet is not an
important fellow. There will always be another poet."
. English poet and Novelist
. Born in Hull in September 20,1902
. Second daughter of Ethel and Charles Smith
. Father left her at a young age to join the North Sea Patrol
. Disliked her father and found him boring
. At age three she moved with her sister and mother to the northern London suburb Palmers Green. Her home until her
death in 1971
. At the age of five Stevie developed Tuberculous peritonitis and was sent
. Her mother died of heart disease when she was sixteen. This was a harrowing experience for Stevie
. Stevie's aunt Madge mothered Stevie for the rest of her
. Her aunt played a major role in Stevie's life. Stevie often referred to her as "The Lion Aunt"
. Went to a local girls school
. Went to a secretarial college and then worked in a publishing firm
. Her first Novel was called "Novel on Yellow Paper" (called this because it was typed on yellow paper)
. In 1934 she submitted some of her poems to a literary agency.
. Stevie gained popularity after the release of her first novel.
. Her first book of poems "A Good time was had by all" appeared in 1937.
. Rumored to be lesbian
. Died on March 7,1971 from a brain tumor
Famous Works
Novels
. Novel on Yellow Paper (Cape, 1936)
. Over the Frontier (Cape, 1938)
. The Holiday (Chapman and Hall, 1949
Poetry Collections
. This Englishwoman (1937)
. A Good Time Was Had By All (Cape, 1937)
. Tender Only to One (Cape, 1938)
. Mother, What Is Man? (Cape, 1942)
. Harold's Leap (Cape, 1950)
. Not Waving but Drowning (Deutsch, 1957)
. Selected Poems (Longmans, 1962)
. The Frog Prince (Longmans, 1966)
. The Best Beast (Longmans, 1969)
. Two in One (Longmans, 1971)
. Scorpion and Other Poems (Longmans, 1972)
. Collected Poems (Allen Lane, 1975)
. Selected Poems (Penguin, 1978)
. New Selected Poems of Stevie Smith (New Directions, 1988)
I Do Not Speak
I do not ask for mercy for understanding for peace
And in these heavy days I do not ask for release
I do not ask that suffering shall cease.
I do not pray to God to let me die
To give an ear attentive to my cry
To pause in his marching and not hurry by.
I do not ask for anything I do not speak
I do not question and I do not seek
I used to in the day when I was weak.
Now I am strong and lapped in sorrow
As in a coat of magic mail and borrow
From Time today and care not for tomorrow.
Analysis
Questions?
. Did her father's abandonment help her
become a better poet?
. Was she better poet because of what she
went through or was she just meant to be a
poet?
. Is a poet wise or does it depend on certain
problems or situations a poet has encountered
in their life?