Stevie Smith

Date of Birth: September 20, 1902

Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Date of Death: March 7, 1971

Biography

Stevie Smith, born Florence Margaret Smith on September 20, 1902, in Kingston upon Hull, England, was a renowned British poet and novelist. She is best known for her poignant and often darkly humorous poetry, as well as her novels that explore themes of death, isolation, and the complexities of human relationships. Raised in North London by her mother and aunt after her father’s departure, Smith’s early life was marked by illness and a sense of abandonment, which greatly influenced her literary voice. Smith worked as a secretary at a publishing company for most of her life, a job she referred to with a mixture of affection and disdain. Despite her day job, she was a prolific writer, penning three novels and nine volumes of poetry. Her most famous work, “Not Waving but Drowning,” remains a staple in English literature courses. Smith’s unique style, characterized by a blend of nursery rhyme simplicity and profound existential inquiry, earned her critical acclaim and a devoted readership. She won the Cholmondeley Award for Poets in 1966 and was awarded a Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 1969. Stevie Smith passed away at the age of 68 on March 7, 1971, leaving behind a legacy of literary innovation and emotional depth.

5 Interesting Facts about Stevie Smith

1. Stevie Smith was affectionately nicknamed “Stevie” after a jockey named Steve Donoghue, whom she admired as a child.

2. Her most famous poem, “Not Waving but Drowning,” was inspired by her own feelings of isolation and misunderstanding.

3. Smith illustrated many of her poems with whimsical, often darkly humorous drawings.

4. Despite her success as a poet, Smith was deeply skeptical of the literary establishment and often critiqued it in her work.

5. Stevie Smith never married and lived most of her life with her aunt, whom she called “Lion Aunt.”

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Stevie Smith

1. “Not waving but drowning.”

2. “I may be smelly and I may be old, but I am not a beggar yet.”

3. “All poetry has to do is to make a strong communication in words.”

4. “I do not want to die yet, for I have not lived yet.”

5. “There is no answer. It is only a matter of living as fully as one can in the face of the unanswerable.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

Stevie Smith’s highest net worth is not extensively documented, but she was known to live modestly and did not achieve significant financial wealth from her poetry.