Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Michael Brooks (West Chester University)
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In 1940 Betty Smith (1896-1972) began submitting a manuscript entitled

They Lived in Brooklyn

to publishers. It was repeatedly rejected. In 1942 she submitted it to a contest at Harper and Brothers for a non-fiction book. The editors urged her to reclassify her manuscript as a novel. They also suggested that she extend her story of Francie Nolan's life, which originally ended with the death of Francie's father. Finally, they urged their author to find a new title.

The book was published the following year as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It reached a second printing before publication day and has been one of the most popular of literary classics ever since. Many young women felt that Francie Nolan's story was theirs. Many still do. Although Smith published three more relatively successful

1571 words

Citation: Brooks, Michael. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 October 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23003, accessed 19 March 2024.]

23003 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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