Gerard Smyth facts for kids
Gerard Smyth (born in 1951) is a well-known Irish poet. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. Gerard Smyth started sharing his poems in the late 1960s. His first poems appeared in The Irish Press and The Honest Ulsterman magazines.
His early books included The Flags Are Quiet (1969), Twenty Poems (1971), and Orchestra of Silence (1971). These early works were inspired by poets like Dylan Thomas.
Contents
A Poet of Dublin
Gerard Smyth grew up in an old part of Dublin called The Liberties. This area has greatly influenced his poetry and often appears in his work. Because of this, poet Michael Hartnett once said that Gerard Smyth is truly a "city-poet." He compared Smyth's poetry about Dublin to how James Joyce wrote about the city in his stories.
Dublin's Stories in Verse
When Gerard Smyth received an award in 2012, people described him as a poet who writes about the "inward city." This means he explores the everyday life and hidden stories of Dublin. His poems often show the city as a place full of endless tales, streets, and neighborhoods rich with memories. He finds special connections in the city's objects and places.
Another poet, Martyn Dyar, also noted how important urban themes are in Smyth's work. He mentioned that Smyth's books take readers through different layers of experience, memory, and culture in Dublin. For over 50 years, Smyth has used the old parts of Dublin as a stage for his imaginative journeys. He gives a voice to people and places that might otherwise be forgotten.
Nature and Family Roots
While Dublin is a big part of his poetry, another important place for Gerard Smyth is the countryside of County Meath. He spent his childhood summers there on the small farm where his mother was born. It was on this farm that he wrote his very first poems when he was just sixteen years old. He still feels a strong connection to this family land.
The Yellow River Project
Fifty years after writing his first poems in Meath, Smyth went back to explore the area and his memories of it. This led to a special book of poems and paintings called The Yellow River. This project was a team effort with artist Sean McSweeney. The artist's father also came from the same part of Meath as Smyth's mother.
A writer named Gerald Dawe said that this mix of poetry and art created a book with interesting differences between the poet and the artist. It shows how a familiar landscape can be seen in new ways and brought back to life.
Working as a Journalist
Gerard Smyth has worked his whole professional life as a journalist for The Irish Times newspaper. He started as a news reporter. Later, he became a managing editor, in charge of covering arts and culture. For several years in the late 1970s, he was the newspaper's poetry critic. Today, he is the poetry editor for The Irish Times. He chooses the weekly poem, continuing a tradition the newspaper has kept for over 100 years.
Awards and Recognition
In May 2009, Gerard Smyth was chosen as a member of Aosdána. This is a special group for writers and artists in Ireland. In 2011, he received the O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award from the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota.
He also helped edit a book called “If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song” with Pat Boran. This book was chosen as Dublin's One City, One Book for 2014.
Readings and Performances
Gerard Smyth has given poetry readings in many cities around the world, including Moscow, Paris, Berlin, and London. He has also participated in most of Ireland's literary festivals. These include the Cuirt festival and the Electric Picnic festival.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Ireland, he wrote a poem called "Isolation." It was published on the front page of The Irish Times on March 21, 2020. A composer named Philip Lawton later adapted this poem for a choral performance.
Collections of Poetry
- The Flags Are Quiet, New Writers’ Press, 1969.
- Twenty Poems, New Writers’ Press, 1970.
- Orchestra of Silence, Gallery Press, 1971.
- World Without End, New Writers Press, 1977.
- Loss and Gain, Raven Arts Press, 1981.
- Painting the Pink Roses Black, Dedalus Press, 1986.
- Daytime Sleeper, Dedalus Press, 2002.
- A New Tenancy, Dedalus Press, 2004.
- The Mirror Tent, Dedalus Press, 2007.
- The Fullness of Time: New and Selected Poems, Dedalus Press, 2010.
- After Easter, The Salvage Press, 2014.
- We Like it Here Beside the River, The Salvage Press, 2014.
- A Song of Elsewhere, Dedalus Press, 2014, Solstice Arts Centre, 2017.
- The Yellow River, Solstice Arts Centre, 2017.
- The Sundays of Eternity, Dedalus Press, 2020.
Gerard Smyth's poems have appeared in many literary magazines in Ireland, Britain, and North America. His work has also been translated into several languages, including Spanish, Polish, and Hungarian. He has read his poems on RTE Radio and is included in various poetry collections.
