Elizabeth Smart (December 27, 1913 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

. Her best-known work is the novel ''

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept ''By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept'' is a 1945 novel in prose poetry by the Canadian author Elizabeth Smart (1913–1986). The work was inspired by Smart's passionate affair with the British poet George Barker (1913–1991). Genes ...

'' (1945), an extended prose poem inspired by her romance with the poet George Barker.

Early life and education

Smart was born to a prominent family in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

; her father, Russel Smart, was a lawyer, and the family had a summer house on

Kingsmere Lake Kingsmere Lake is a lake surrounded by boreal forest in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. At in size and over deep, it is a large lake in the Waskesiu Upland of central Saskatchewan. Several creeks and rivers feed the lake from the surro ...

located next door to the future

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

.Carson 2000, pp. 187–195. Her sister, Jane became a filmmaker, teacher and sculptor.Martineau, Barbara Halpern
"Leading Ladies Behind the Camera."
''Cinema Canada'' January–February 1981, p. 23. Smart attended the Ottawa Normal School in her formative years, but was soon transferred to the Elmwood School, a private prep school for girls located in an affluent Ottawa neighbourhood. She later attended Hatfield Hall in

Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberla ...

for secondary school.Barker 2006. At the age of 11, Smart was confined to bed for a year due to a misdiagnosed "leaky heart valve". She began writing at an early age, publishing her first poem at the age of 10 and compiling a collection of poetry at 15.Smart 1986. In her youth, she often kept regular journals, a habit she would keep up throughout most of her life. Smart grew up among the social elite of Ottawa through her father's connections as a lawyer. Her mother often hosted parties for prominent politicians and civil servants. As a result, Smart socialized with many members of Ottawa's political class who were or would become important figures in Canadian history, including acquaintances such as

Graham Spry Graham Spry (1900–1983) was a Canadian broadcasting pioneer, business executive, diplomat and socialist. He was the husband of Irene Spry and father of Robin Spry, Richard Spry and Lib Spry. Life He was born on February 20, 1900, in St. ...

, Charles Ritchie,

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

, and

.Ritchie 2002. Elizabeth Smart at Kingsmere

At the age of 18, following graduation from secondary school, Smart traveled to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to study music at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. In 1937, Smart took a job as secretary to the noted Mrs. Alfred Watt, head of the

Associated Country Women of the World The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) is the largest international organization for rural women, with a membership of nine million in 82 countries (per 2023). ACWW holds a triennial conference and publishes a magazine, ''The Countrywoman ...

, an international organization for

rural women Rural women play a fundamental role in rural communities around the world providing care and being involved in number of economic pursuits such as subsistence farming, petty trading and off-farm work. In most parts of the world, rural women work v ...

, travelling extensively throughout the world accompanying Watt to various conferences. It was during this time that Smart happened across a book of poetry by George Barker, immediately falling in love not only with the poetry, but with the man himself. After her travels with Mrs. Watt, Smart returned to Ottawa, where she spent six months writing society notes for the

women's page The women's page (sometimes called home page or women's section) of a newspaper was a section devoted to covering news assumed to be of interest to women. Women's pages started out in the 19th century as Society reporting, society pages and event ...

of ''

The Ottawa Journal The ''Ottawa Journal'' was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1885 to 1980. It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the ''Ottawa Evening Journal''. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the ...

''. At parties she would often ask about Barker, saying she wanted to meet and marry him. Soon Smart began a correspondence with the poet.

Relationship with George Barker

Eager to launch her writing career, Smart quit the ''Journal'' and left Ottawa for good. Traveling on her own, she visited

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, joining a writers' colony at

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from th ...

. While there, Smart made contact with Barker through

Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial pa ...

, paying to fly Barker and his wife to the United States from Japan where he was teaching. Soon after meeting, they began a tumultuous affair which was to last for years. In 1941, after becoming pregnant, Smart returned to Canada, settling in Pender Harbour,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

to have the child she would name Georgina. Barker attempted to visit her in Canada, but Smart's family influenced government officials: he was stopped at the border and turned back because of "moral turpitude". During this time Smart produced her best-known work, ''

'' (1945). Smart soon returned to the United States and began work as a file clerk for the British embassy in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

."Elizabeth Smart."
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (Historica Canada). Retrieved: April 17, 2016. Two years later, in 1943, during the height of the war, she sailed to the United Kingdom to join Barker. There she gave birth to their second child, Christopher Barker, and obtained employment at the

British Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serves as the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ...

to support her children. Just 2000 copies of ''By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept'' were published in 1945 by Editions Poetry London, and it did not achieve popularity until its paperback reissue in 1966. It is a fictional work, largely based on Smart's affair with Barker up until that point. "The power of emotion to transform one's perspective on the world," a recent ''Open Letters Monthly'' review of the novel states, "is the theme of this wildly poetic novel. The inspiration for Smart's classic work of prose poetry is just as famous as the book itself. Smart's mother Louise ("Louie") was not pleased with the book. Again availing influence with government officials, she led a successful campaign to have its

publication ban A publication ban is a court order which prohibits the public or media from disseminating certain details of an otherwise public judicial proceeding. In Canada, publication bans are most commonly issued when the safety or reputation of a victim ...

ned in Canada. Of those copies that made their way into the country from overseas, Louise Smart bought up as many as she could find and had them burned.Sullivan 1991. Barker visited Smart often in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where she worked. She became pregnant again, and was fired from the Ministry of Information. Their affair produced two more children (

Sebastian Sebastian may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sebastian (name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century * Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578 ...

, born 1945, and Rose Emma, born 1947). Through it all Barker, who was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, said he would leave his wife for Smart, but this never happened (he was to have fifteen children by several different women). They lived a bohemian lifestyle and associated with many of the '

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

' artists. Christopher Barker writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' about this period noted: "On many occasions through the early Sixties, writers and painters such as

David Gascoyne David Gascoyne (10 October 1916 – 25 November 2001) was an English poet associated with the Surrealist movement, in particular the British Surrealist Group. Additionally, he translated work by French surrealist poets. Early life and surreal ...

, Paddy Kavanagh, Roberts MacBryde and

Colquhoun Colquhoun ( ) is a surname of Scotland, Scottish origin. The "l" is typically silent per developments in the Phonological history of Scots, Scots language. Phonetically, MacOlquhoun is similar to McElhone, MacElhone/MacIlhone and therefore Colquhou ...

and Paddy Swift wift lived downstairs from Smart and his wife, Agnes, wrote cookbooks with Smartwould gather at Westbourne Terrace in Paddington, our family home at that time. They came for editorial discussions about their poetry magazine, '' X''." In addition to the unconventional nature of the relationship, the affair was fraught with turmoil. Barker was a heavy drinker and Smart took up the habit, which intensified when the two were together. The couple were involved in numerous fights; during one argument, Smart bit off part of Barker's upper lip. Nonetheless, as evidenced from writings in her journals, Smart's love for Barker continued for the remainder of her life.

Single mother and writer

Raising four children on her own, Smart worked for 13 years as an advertising copywriter, becoming the highest-paid copywriter in England. She joined the staff of ''

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

'' magazine in 1963, later becoming an editor. During this time her physical involvement with Barker waned and she took several other lovers, male and female. Meanwhile, ''By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept'' had been circulating in London and New York, acquiring a cult following that led to its paperback reissue in 1966 and critical acclaim. In the same year, Smart retired from commercial writing and relocated to a cottage in north

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

named "The Dell". It was at The Dell that Smart produced the bulk of her subsequent literary work, much of which has been published posthumously. Eager to make up for the time away from creative writing forced by the demands of raising her children, Smart wrote voluminously and on a number of subjects, poetry and prose, even her passion for gardening. In 1977, following a 32-year absence from the book world, Smart published two new works, ''The Assumption of the Rogues & Rascals'' and a small collection of poetry, titled ''A Bonus''. Later, ''In the Meantime'' (1984), a collection of Smart's unpublished poetry and prose appeared, and her two volumes of journals, ''Necessary Secrets: The Journals of Elizabeth Smart'' (1986) were published posthumously. Smart returned to Canada for a brief stay from 1982 to 1983, becoming writer-in-residence at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

. Afterward she spent a year in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

on a

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It is Canada's public arts funder, with a mandate to ...

writer's grant before returning to England. In 1986 she died in London of a heart attack. She is buried in St George's churchyard,

St Cross South Elmham St Cross South Elmham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district, close to the border with Norfolk and is east of Harleston, Norfolk, Harleston and s ...

, Suffolk. An hour-long documentary, ''Elizabeth Smart: On the Side of the Angels'' (1991) by Maya Gallus starred actor

Jackie Burroughs Jacqueline Burroughs (2 February 1939 – 22 September 2010) was a British-born Canadian actress. Burroughs starred in over 100 films and television shows over her career, including ''Heavy Metal (film), Heavy Metal'', ''The Care Bears Movie'', ...

as Elizabeth Smart and was narrated by author

Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...

. The publication of her journals in ''On The Side of the Angels'' brought further posthumous critical appreciation

Influence

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

, former lead singer of the British band

the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

, has talked of his love for Elizabeth Smart. References to ''By Grand Station Central I Sat Down And Wept'' are found in a number of Smiths songs, in particular "What She Said", "Reel Around The Fountain" and "Well, I Wonder", and as well, the title of the Smiths compilation album ''

Louder Than Bombs ''Louder Than Bombs'' is a compilation album by the English rock band the Smiths, released as a double album on 30 March 1987 by their American record company, Sire Records. It peaked at number 62 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. Popu ...

''.

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and the only continuous member of the alternative rock band the Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the band's initial split in 1996, he be ...

used a passage from Elizabeth's poem ''A Musical Note'' to name his third solo album ''The Music of the Spheres''. Canadian playwright

Wendy Lill Wendy Lill (born November 2, 1950) is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and radio dramatist who served as an NDP Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2004. Her stage plays have been performed extensively in theatres across Canada as well as inte ...

wrote a play entitled ''Memories of You'' (1989) about the life of Elizabeth Smart.

Works

* Smart, Elizabeth. ''

''. New York: Vintage Press, 1992, First edition 1945. . * Smart, Elizabeth and Agnes Ryan. ''Cooking the French Way (%00 Recipes)''. London: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd., 1966, first edition 1958. . * Smart, Elizabeth. ''A Bonus''. London: Jay Landesman Publishing, 1977. . * Smart, Elizabeth. ''The Assumption of the Rogues and Rascals''. New York: HarperCollins, 1978. . * Smart, Elizabeth. ''Ten Poems''. Bath, UK: Bath Place Community Arts Press, 1981. * Smart, Elizabeth. ''Eleven Poems''. Bath, UK: Bath Place Community Arts Press, 1982. * Smart, Elizabeth. ''In the Meantime''. Ottawa: Deneau, 1984. . * Smart, Elizabeth. ''Elizabeth's Garden: Elizabeth Smart on the Art of Gardening''. Toronto: Coach House Press, 1989. . * Smart, Elizabeth.''The Collected Poems of Elizabeth Smart''. London: Paladin, 1992. .

Edited collections

* Smart, Elizabeth, Christina Burridge ed. ''Autobiographies''. Vancouver: William Hoffer, 1987. * Smart, Elizabeth, Alice Van Wart, ed. ''Juvenilia: Early Writings of Elizabeth Smart''. Toronto: Coach House Press, 1987. . * Smart, Elizabeth, Alice Van Wart, ed. ''Necessary Secrets: The Journals of Elizabeth Smart''. Toronto: Harper/Collins Canada, 1987. . * Smart, Elizabeth, Alice Van Wart, ed. ''On the Side of the Angels: The Second Volume of the Journals of Elizabeth Smart''. Toronto: Harper/Collins Canada, 1997. .

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Barker, Christopher. ''The Arms of the Infinite''. Keighley, UK: Pomona Press, 2006. . * Barker, Christopher. "Life at Tilty Mill" (A sketch by Smart's son Christopher.). ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...

'' Issue 80, Winter 2002. * Carson, Marilyn. "Elizabeth Smart: Poetry and Passion in Ottawa". in Brooks, Victoria. ''Literary Trips: Following in the Footsteps of Fame 1''. Vancouver: Greatest Escapes, 2000. . * Echlin, Kim. ''Elizabeth Smart: A Fugue Essay on Women and Creativity''. Toronto: Women's Press, 2004.
"Elizabeth Smart."
''Canadian Writers'', an examination of archival manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, journals and notebooks at Library and Archives Canada. * Fraser, Robert. ''The Chameleon Poet: A Life of George Barker''. London: Jonathan Cape Ltd, 2002. . * Ritchie, Charles. ''My Grandfather's House''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2002. . * Smart, Elizabeth.''Necessary Secrets: The Journals of Elizabeth Smart''. Toronto: Deneau, 1986. . * Sullivan, Rosemary. ''By Heart: Elizabeth Smart a Life''. Toronto: Viking Canada, 1991. .

External links

Elizabeth Smart's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

Elizabeth Smart's Grave

Elizabeth Smart: On The Side of the Angels, produced & directed by Maya Gallus
* Archives of Elizabeth Smar
(Elizabeth Smart fonds, R12494)
are held at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

* Correspondence between Elizabeth Smart and Alice Van Wart are held in the archives of Alice Van War
(Alice Van Wart fonds, R16263)
at

* Some archives of Elizabeth Smart collected by Kim Echli
(Kimberly Echlin Collection of Elizabeth Smart Letters, Scrip, and Photographs, R12501)
are held at

. The collection consists of materials gathered by Kim Echlin while she conducted research for her biography of Elizabeth Smart, including letters, a radio script from a BBC production; and publicity photographs of Smart. {{DEFAULTSORT:Smart, Elizabeth 1913 births 1986 deaths Alumni of King's College London Canadian women poets 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian diarists Canadian women novelists Poets from Ottawa 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women non-fiction writers Women diarists Women's page journalists 20th-century diarists 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Canadian LGBTQ novelists Canadian LGBTQ poets Canadian bisexual women Canadian bisexual writers Bisexual novelists Novelists from Ottawa