Synopses & Reviews
Charles Simic has been widely celebrated for his brilliant poetic imagery; his social, political, and moral alertness; his uncanny ability to make the ordinary extraordinary; and not least, the sardonic humor all his own. Gathering much of his material from the seemingly mundane minutiae of contemporary American culture, Simic matches meditations on spiritual concerns and the weight of history with a nimble wit, shifting effortlessly to moments of clear vision and intense poetic revelation.
Chosen as one of the New York Library's 25 Books to Remember for 2003, The Voice at 3:00 A.M. was also nominated for a National Book Award. The recipient of many prizes, Simic most recently received Canada's Griffin Prize. The poems in this collection spanning two decades of his work present a rich and varied survey of a remarkable lyrical journey.
In the Street
Beauty, dark goddess,
We met and parted
As though we parted not.
Like two stopped watches
In a dusty store window,
One golden morning of time.
Review
"Simic has achieved major recognition for his wryly acerbic meditations and send-ups; this selection from his last eight books...matched with 19 new poems, should pave the way for more." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[E]verything Simic contemplates...is acutely sensual, drenched in emotion, and spiked with implication....[M]oody, surprising, and tonic." Booklist
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"Charles Simic's writing comes dancing out on the balls of its feet, colloquially fit as a fiddle, a sparring partner for the world." Seamus Heaney
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"Few contemporary poets have been as influential or as inimitable as Charles Simic." New York Times Book Review
Review
"A master of the sureal, Simic packs his poems full of horror movies, bleak jokes, savage ironies and the things an insomniac notices on the ceiling." People
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"[M]any of Simic's poems are small wicked gems, gleaming with the light of their own skepticism." Philadelphia Inquirer
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"If there were ever a poet whose work was needed in these difficult times, it would be Simic." Library Journal
Synopsis
Praise for Charles Simic:
"Charles Simic's writing comes dancing out on the balls of its feet, colloquially fit as a fiddle, a sparring partner for the world."--Seamus Heaney
"Few poets have been as influential--or as inimitable--as Charles Simic."--The New York Times Book Review
"It's hard to see how anyone could not like Charles Simic . . . American poetry would be much more boring without that odd hybrid we know as the Simic Poem."--The Boston Globe "Charles Simic has infused American poetry with the freshest and most original style and imagery since e.e. cummings."--St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"A master of the surreal."--People
CHARLES SIMIC is widely recognized as one of the most important American poets of our time. He is the recipient of many awards and honors, including a PEN International Award for translation, and in 1990 he received the Pulitzer Prize for The World Doesn't End. He lives in New Hampshire.
About the Author
Born in 1938 in Belgrade Charles Simic is widely recognized as one of the most important American poets of our time. He received the Pulitzer Prize for The World Doesn't End. He lives in New Hampshire.