Charles Simic (born Dušan Simić, May 9, 1938 in Belgrade, Serbia) is a Serbian-American poet and the 15th Poet Laureate of the United States. He is co-Poetry Editor of the Paris Review. Simic is the 2007 recipient of the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets. This $100,000 (US) prize recognizes outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry.^[1] is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation). ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Not to be confused with Republika Srpska. ... This article is about work. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with Republika Srpska. ... Languages Serbian Religions Predominantly Serbian Orthodox Christian Related ethnic groups Other Slavic peoples, especially South Slavs See Cognate peoples below (* many Serbs opted for Yugoslav ethnicity) [27] Serbs (Serbian: Срби or Srbi) are a South Slavic people who live mainly in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and, to a lesser extent, in... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress is appointed by the United States Librarian of Congress and earns a stipend of $35,000 a year. ... The Paris Review, which is actually based in New York, is a literary magazine started in 1953 by Peter Matthiessen, Thomas H. Guinzburg, and Harold L. Humes, and edited until his death in 2003 by George Plimpton. ... // Southword Editions in 2006 was preparing to start an annual anthology of Irish poetry, The Best of Irish Poetry 2007 to be the first volume. ... The Wallace Stevens Award is a major annual American literary award for mastery of poetry in the English language. ... The Academy of American Poets is the largest organization in the United States dedicated to the art of poetry. ...

Biography

Simic was born in Belgrade, which was then in Yugoslavia. Growing up in war-torn Europe as a child shaped much of his world-view. In an interview from Cortland Review he said, "Being one of the millions of displaced persons made an impression on me. In addition to my own little story of bad luck, I heard plenty of others. I'm still amazed by all the vileness and stupidity I witnessed in my life." Simic emigrated to the United States with his family in 1953 when he was sixteen. He grew up in Chicago and received his B.A. from NYU. He is professor emeritus of American literature and creative writing at the University of New Hampshire and lives on the shore of Bow Lake in Strafford, New Hampshire. For other uses, see Belgrade (disambiguation). ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... New York University (NYU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university in New York City. ... A professor is a senior teacher and researcher, usually in a college or university. ... American literature refers to written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and Colonial America. ... Creative writing is a term used to distinguish certain imaginative or different types of writing from technical writing. ... University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). ... Bow Lake is a 1,160-acre water body located in Strafford and Rockingham counties in eastern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Strafford and Northwood. ... Strafford is a town located in Strafford County, New Hampshire. ...

Poetry

He began to make a name for himself in the early to mid 1970s as a literary minimalist, writing terse, imagistic poems which, like those of William Blake, have their roots in observed objects that serve to extrapolate the universe. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... This article is about minimalism in art and design. ... William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. ...

Over the years, Simic's style has come to be considered immediately recognizable. Critics have often referred to Simic poems as "tightly constructed Chinese puzzle boxes." Simic himself has stated: "Words make love on the page like flies in the summer heat and the poet is only the bemused spectator." The quote intimates Simic's philosophy that true art must be greater than the person who created it.

He writes thoughtfully on such diverse topics as jazz, art, and philosophy. He exerts considerable influence not only as poet, but as translator, essayist and philosopher, opining on the current state of contemporary American poetry. He and Meghan O'Rourke are currently the poetry editors for The Paris Review. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... This article is about the philosophical concept of Art. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... An essayist is an author who writes compositions which can be about any particular subject. ... Emily Dickinson, one of the best known American poets. ... Meghan ORourke is the culture editor for Slate and, along with Charles Simic, poetry editor for The Paris Review. ... // The Paris Review is an English-language literary magazine based in New York City. ...

Simic is one of the judges for the 2007 Griffin Poetry Prize and continues to contribute poetry and prose to The New York Review of Books. The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canadas youngest and most lucrative poetry award. ... This article is about the literary magazine. ...

Poet Laureate

On August 2, 2007, Simic was selected by James Billington, Librarian of Congress, to be the 15th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, succeeding Donald Hall. Billington referred to "the rather stunning and original quality of his poetry".^[2] is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... James Hadley Billington (born June 1, 1929) is the current Librarian of Congress. ... Library of Congress, Jefferson building The Library of Congress is one of four official national libraries of the United States (along with the National Library of Medicine, National Agricultural Library, and National Archives and Records Administration). ... The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress is appointed by the United States Librarian of Congress and earns a stipend of $35,000 a year. ... Donald Hall (born September 20, 1928) is an American poet and the U.S. Poet Laureate. ...

Already there is a controversy regarding the appointment of Simic to the post. It was revealed that he awarded a literary prize in a contest sponsored by Sarabande Books to the late Deborah Tall, a friend and colleague. Hundreds of entrants paid an entry fee in the competition, which collected thousands of dollars to support publication of the book.

Awards

• MacArthur Fellowship (1984-1989)
• Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1990)
• Wallace Stevens Award (2007)

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... The Wallace Stevens Award is a major annual American literary award for mastery of poetry in the English language. ...

Bibliography

• What the Grass Says - 1967
• Somewhere Among Us A Stone Is Taking Notes - 1969
• Dismantling The Silence - 1971
• White - 1972
• Return To A Place Lit By A Glass Of Milk - 1974
• Charon's Cosmology - 1977
• School For Dark Thoughts - 1978
• Classic Ballroom Dances - 1980
• Austerities - 1982
• Unending Blues - 1986
• The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems - 1990 (Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
• Hotel Insomnia - 1992
• Dime-Store Alchemy: The Art of Joseph Cornell - 1993
• A Wedding in Hell - 1994
• Walking the Black Cat - 1996 (National Book Award in Poetry finalist)
• Jackstraws - 1999 (New York Times Notable Book of the Year)
• The Book of Gods and Devils - 2000
• Night Picnic: Poems - 2001
• The Voice at 3:00 A.M.: Selected Late and New Poems - 2003
• Selected Poems: 1963-2003 - 2004 (winner of the 2005 International Griffin Poetry Prize)
• My Noiseless Entourage : Poems - 2005
• Monkey Around - 2006

The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canadas youngest and most lucrative poetry award. ...

References

is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Charles Simic Online Resources, Library of Congress
• Foet Laureate calls for the resignation of Charles Simic as Poet Laureate
• poets.org biography
• The Cortland Review interview
• Biography by Diva Desai
• Griffin Poetry Prize biography, including audio and video clips
• Seven Prose Poems by Charles Simic (in The Cafe Irreal)