A.J.M Smith's Revisions to His Poems

The author looks at the ways in which Montreal poet A.J.M. Smith (1902-1980) revised his poems and why and how he changed them so frequently. The author notes that of the poems in Smith's Collected Works, there is hardly a poem that has not had either major revision, minor revision, or a title change at some point in its life. The author concludes that any definitive pronouncements about Smith's work must take into account the extensive revision process each poem undergoes, and that critics and anthologists cannot fail to identify which version(s) of Smith's poems are being included and discussed.

Canadian Poetry: Studies, Documents, Review

Vol. 11

7-25

1982

en