Sydney Goodsir Smith was a New Zealand-born Scottish poet, artist, dramatist and novelist. He wrote poetry in literary Scots often referred to as Lallans, and was a major figure of the Scottish Renaissance.
Life
He was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Catherine Goodsir Gelenick and Sydney Smith, a pioneer in forensic science who later became a Regius Professor in forensic medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He moved to Edinburgh with his family in 1928. He was educated at Malvern College. He went to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine, but abandoned that, and started to study history at Oriel College, Oxford; whence he was expelled, but managed to complete a degree. He also claimed to have studied art in Italy, wine in France and mountains in Bavaria. His first poetry collection of many, Skail Wind, was published in 1941. Carotid Cornucopius was a comic novel about Edinburgh. His A Short Introduction to Scottish Literature, based on four broadcast talks, was published in 1951. His play The Wallace formed part of the 1960 Edinburgh Festival. Smith was also associated with the editorial board for the Lines Review magazine. Under the Eildon tree, a long poem in 24 parts, is considered by many his finest work; The Grace of God and the Meth-Drinker is a much-anthologised poem. Kynd Kittock's land was a commission of a poem to be televised by the BBC. He died in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after a heart attack outside a newsagents on Dundas Street in Edinburgh, and was buried in Dean Cemetery in the northern 20th century section, towards the north-west. His wife, Hazel Williamson, lies with him.
Memorials
He is commemorated by a "pavement poem" in the "Makars' Court" a section of James Court off the Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile.
Works
Skail Wind - poems, Edinburgh, The Chalmers press, 1941
The Wanderer, and other poems, Edinburgh, Oliver and Boyd, 1943
The Deevil’s Waltz, Glasgow, W. MacLellan, 1946
Selected Poems, Edinburgh, published for The Saltire Society by Oliver and Boyd, 1947
A Short Introduction to Scottish Literature, Serif Books, 1951
The Drawings of Sydney Goodsir Smith, poet, collected by Ian Begg, edited by Joy Hendry, Edinburgh, Chapman Press, on behalf of The New Auk Society, 1998
A Publisher of the Nineties in The Holiday Book. 1946.
As editor:
Robert Fergusson, 1750–1774: essays by various hands
