Selected Poems

by Stevie Smith

Stevie Smith was one of the few modern poets to reach a wide general audience. Bizarre, witty, sad, sometimes caustic, her poems impart a zest for life, and reveal her unique eye for the marvels of the ordinary and her deep sensibility to the paradoxical nature of all human emotions.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Anthologies

Paperback

First published October 26, 1978

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Florence Margaret Smith, known as Stevie Smith (20 September 1902 – 7 March 1971), was an English poet and novelist.

Reviews

[Maru Kun]

London Review of Books has a one hour podcast on Stevie Smith based on LRB articles about her work: The Idea of Stevie. Can't wait to hear it!

[Grady Ormsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selected Poems by Stevie Smith has been described by Robert Lowell as having a “cheerfully gruesome voice.” In this 1964 volume of poems she uses a variety of forms. Some are simple aphorisms. Most are short, some quite short, with a pithy simplicity. All are very lyrical and musical. There are a few that come with parenthetical suggestions that they be sung to familiar tunes. I had to read with my Googler near at hand to check out all the mythological references, most of which were Greek, Norse and Arthurian. I also had to seek translations of the titles of some poems which were written in French. Unlike a lot of modern poetry that seems to pride itself on being obtuse, Smith’s poetry is very accessible. She wants you to understand her, or at least enjoy the challenge of trying to decipher some of the more abstract references and eccentric images. Her poetic forms are not necessarily traditional but are at least an acknowledgment that form is an aspect of poetry that does matter. She demonstrates a playful joy with rhyme, near rhyme and Skeltonic rhyme. As far as subject matter is concerned, there is some depressing content though she doesn’t dwell on the morose. The overall tone is contemplative and optimistic. Nature seems to be a favorite theme and source of many of her metaphors. She is reminiscent of Kenneth Patchen. A special joy of this book is that each poem is accompanied by an illustration by the author adding an extra visual dimension.

[Zanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An edited collection of Smith's poems, spanning a huge range of themes, moods and textures, including social commentary gentle and scathing, tributes to animals and protest at their maltreatment, explorations of tensions in religious faith and whimsical forays into myth and fairytale worlds

Smith's poems present to me a mix including pieces I am compelled to read out to my Mamma, and the incomprehensible or seeming trivial. I feel that she is a friend travelling with me, I love her tenderly and miss her humanity on this earth. She found death so friendly and tempting comforting, and it's refreshing to read an author who expresses that; I think the taboo on death in UK culture is a big problem for our mental health. Neil Gaiman did a good job of addressing this for young adults in Death: The High Cost of Living but Smith gives a more adult, and more unsettling perspective.

[Cat · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took a long while for me to really get into these poems, The more I looked at the book, the more I dreaded opening those pages. The poems had a lot of figurative language - but that was it. It was like reading a practicing writer's diary. To be fair, it wasn't all boring. I did re-read some of the poems that resonated with me like: "Infelice", "The Recluse", "The River God", "King Hamlet's Ghost", "At School" and "The Sorrowful Girl". They all related to something that had happened in my life, whether it was I who experienced it or someone I knew.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got to page 200 before I googled 'was Stevie Smith a lesbian'

Usually charming and clever, though I found the odd one to be occasionally preachy, conservative, or hollow. However I adore 'O Pug' I think it's such a sweet poem.

Also liked 'The Bereaved Swan', the famous 'Not Waving But Drowning', 'Infelice', the very barbed 'Dear Karl', 'The Magic Morning', 'The Blue From Heaven', 'Anger's Freeing Power', 'Fafnir And The Knights' and 'The Singing Cat'. She's good at animal poems.

[gary hawker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful array of literary genius - unconventional in places, irreverent at times but always engaging and quirky. Some poems are epic in their scope and imagination, others are exploratory and tentative - I love the quiet turbulence of some of her verse and the quest for locating a true emotion.

[Simon Worlding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im not really qualified to comment on poetry because it rarely lands with me. However, I enjoyed several in this book.

Lots of social commentary, lots about death, SS comes across as an interesting and darkly witty lady.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique. I haven't read all the poems - yet. "Not Waving But Drowning" is what attracted me - a truly great poem.

[Michael]

Hit or miss for me, but there were at least a handful that I really liked.

[Kienan Aguado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stevie’s fun!