Sydney Goodsir Smith papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0226

Staff Only

Scope and Content Note

The Sydney Goodsir Smith papers date primarily from the late 1950s and early 1960s, an especially nationalist phase in Smith’s literary career. The collection contains several drafts and advance proofs of Smith's play The Wallace and manuscripts of his long dramatic poems, Gowdsmith in Reekie and The Vision of the Prodigal Son. Also present are seventeen pieces of correspondence and the manuscripts of about twenty prose pieces, including essays, reviews, and scripts from radio talks.

Dates

Creation: 1954-1960

Creator

Smith, Sydney Goodsir, 1915-1975 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/

Biographical Note

Sydney Goodsir Smith was one of the most important authors of the twentieth-century Scottish Literary Renaissance. As a vital member of Edinburgh's literary circle, Smith was known for his emotional love poetry and nationalistic concern for the cultural and political affairs of Scotland. Smith, however, was neither raised nor educated in Scotland. He was born in Wellington, New Zealand, on October 26, 1915 and attended preparatory school in England. After a brief stay at Edinburgh University in the early 1930s, he graduated from Oxford in 1937 with an M.A. in history. After graduation, Smith settled permanently in Edinburgh, drawn by its beauty and culture.

In the late 1930s, Smith began to write poetry using his own individualized version of the Scottish language. With the publication of The Deevils Waltz in 1946 and Carotia Cornucopius in 1947, Smith exhibited an increasing confidence in the innovative language of his poetry. His next books, Under the Eildon Tree (1948) and So Late into the Night: Fifty Lyrics, 1944-1948 (1952), are collections of love poems which are considered Smith's best. In the 1960s, Smith's works grew increasingly nationalistic in tone. His play The Wallace (1960) celebrates the Scottish nation and mourns its cultural and political oppression. Similar themes are expressed in his poems The Vision of the Prodigal Son (1959) and Gowdsmith in Reekie (1954). Sydney Goodsir Smith died in Edinburgh on January 15, 1975.

Aitken, W.R. "Sydney Goodsir Smith, 1915-1975: A Checklist of His Books and Pamphlets." In For Sydney Goodsir Smith, Loanhead: M. Macdonald, 1975. pp. 85-91 Sherry, Vincent B., Jr. (Ed.). Dictionary of Literary Biography. Volume 27. Poets of Great Britian and Ireland, 1945-1960."Sydney Goodsir Smith" by David S. Robb. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1984. pp. 340-346. Includes a critical bibliography.

Extent

.4 linear foot (58 items)

Additional Description

Abstract

The Sydney Goodsir Smith Papers date primarily from the late 1950s and early 1960s, an especially nationalist phase in Smith’s literary career. The collection contains several drafts and advance proofs of Smith’s play The Wallace and manuscripts of his long dramatic poems, Gowdsmith in Reekie and The Vision of the Prodigal Son. Also present are seventeen pieces of correspondence and the manuscripts of about twenty prose pieces, including essays, reviews, and scripts from radio talks.