Horace Smith

Born in London on December 31, 1779, Horace Smith — originally Horatio Smith — became known as an English poet and novelist who balanced literary ambition with a successful career as a stockbroker. That unusual mix of practical business sense and literary life helped make him a distinctive figure in early 19th-century English letters.

He first won wide notice with Rejected Addresses (1812), a celebrated book of parodies written with his brother James Smith. Later, he published a large number of novels, including Brambletye House, and built a reputation as a lively, versatile writer with a gift for humor as well as storytelling.

Many readers now know him through his connection to the Romantic poets. In 1818, he took part in a friendly sonnet-writing challenge with Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Smith's own poem titled "Ozymandias" remains one of his best-known works. He died at Tunbridge Wells on July 12, 1849.