Ann Smith was the daughter of a judge in Strömstad and related to the author Emilie Flygare-Carlén. At the age of twelve, she moved to Stockholm. She married, had a son, and divorced, and has worked, among other places, in a bookshop. In 1978 she married the writer Åke Hodell.
Her debut collection Två i stjärnan, 1963, which consists of highly erotic poems, was sold out in a fortnight. A selection of a number of poetry collections written in a personal and sensuous language, for example Där sjöhästar möts, 1979, and Kärlekshistorier, 1984, has been published in a composite volume in 1991 entitled Solens stav är du. Kärleksdikter 1963-1991.
Additions by the editorial team 2011:
The above biography was first published in 1998. Since then, Ann Smith has published several works, including Kvad, 2002, and Dikter, 2004.
In 2007 she was awarded the Samfundet De Nios Särskilda pris.