Christopher Smart (1722–1771)
Author of Selected Poems
About the Author
Son of a viscount, Smart was educated at Cambridge, where he was a lecturer in philosophy and rhetoric until 1752. Smart also spent his early years as a journalist and a writer of occasional verse. Subject to religious mania and an overexcited mind, Smart suffered a breakdown and spent several show more years in mental asylums. It is said that during his confinement, deprived of paper and pen, he scratched with a key on the wainscot of his room his masterpiece, A Song to David (1763). In 1771, in debt and sunk in drunkenness, Smart was confined to King's Bench Prison, where he died. In his greatest poetry, Smart wrote rationally but ecstatically, shedding the narrow poetic shackles of his time. His verse anticipates the poetry of Blake, especially in Jubilate Agno (Rejoice in the Lamb), also from Smart's "mad" period, in which the poet glorifies all the creatures of God; there is a charming section on his cat Jeoffry. Benjamin Britten (see Vol. 3) has set Rejoice in the Lamb to music. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Christopher Smart
Poems 5 copies
Collected Poems 2 4 copies
The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart: Volume III. A Translation of the Psalms of David: Translation of the Psalms of… (1987) 3 copies
The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart: Volume IV. Miscellaneous Poems, English and Latin: Miscellaneous Poems,… (1987) 3 copies
The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart: Volume II: Religious Poetry, 1763-1771 (Poetical Works of Christopher Smart… (1984) 2 copies
The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart: Volume V: The Works of Horace, Translated into Verse 1 copy
Hymns 1 copy
The Poetical Works of Christopher Smart: Volume V. The Works of Horace, Translated Into Verse (1996) 1 copy
Poems on Several Occasions 1 copy
Inno a David e altre poesie 1 copy
Associated Works
The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer Through Robert Frost (2004) — Contributor — 1,042 copies
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 915 copies
The Sophisticated Cat: A Gathering of Stories, Poems, and Miscellaneous Writings About Cats (1992) — Contributor — 99 copies
The Roads from Bethlehem: Christmas Literature from Writers Ancient and Modern (1993) — Contributor — 29 copies
English Verse: Volume 3: The Eighteenth Century: Swift to Crabbe (Penguin Classics) (1995) — Contributor — 11 copies
Anthology of Romanticism Volume Two: Selections From The Pre-Romantic Movement — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Kit Smart
Kitty Smart
Jack Smart
Mrs. Mary Midnight - Birthdate
- 1722-04-11
- Date of death
- 1771-05-21
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Great Britain
- Country (for map)
- UK
- Birthplace
- Shipbourne, Kent, England, Great Britain
- Place of death
- London, England, Great Britain
- Places of residence
- Shipbourne, Kent, England, Great Britain (birth)
London, England, UK (death)
Durham, England, Great Britain
St. James Park, London, England, Great Britain
Hall Place, East Barming, Kent, England, Great Britain
Canonbury House, Islington, London, England, Great Britain - Education
- University of Cambridge (Pembroke College, BA, MA)
Maidstone School, Maidstone, Kent, England, Great Britain
Durham School, Durham, England, Great Britain - Occupations
- poet
tutor
playwright - Relationships
- John Newbury (friend)
Samuel Johnson (friend)
Peter Smart (father)
Winifred Griffith (mother)
Members
Reviews
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Statistics
- Works
- 38
- Also by
- 16
- Members
- 288
- Popularity
- #81,142
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 26
- Languages
- 1
- Favorited
- 3