Dušan Simić ( sr-cyr, Душан Симић, ; born May 9, 1938), known as Charles Simic, is a

Serbian American Serbian Americans ( sr, / ) or American Serbs (), are Americans of Serb ethnic ancestry. As of 2013, there were about 190,000 American citizens who identified as having Serb ancestry. However, the number may be significantly higher, as there w ...

poet and former co-poetry editor of the ''

Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published works by Jack Kerouac, Ph ...

''. He received the

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first presented in 1922, and is given for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, publishe ...

in 1990 for ''The World Doesn't End'', and was a finalist of the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for ''Selected Poems, 1963–1983'' and in 1987 for ''Unending Blues''. He was appointed the fifteenth

Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...

in 2007.

Biography

Early years

Dušan Simić was born in Belgrade. In his early childhood, during World War II, he and his family were forced to evacuate their home several times to escape indiscriminate bombing of Belgrade. Growing up as a child in war-torn Europe shaped much of his world-view, Simic states. In an interview from the ''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 immigrated to the United States with his brother and mother in order to join his father in 1954 when he was sixteen. He grew up in Chicago. In 1961 he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and in 1966 he earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

while working at night to cover the costs of tuition. He is

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of American literature and creative writing at

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...

, where he has taught since 1973 and lives in

Strafford, New Hampshire Strafford is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,230 at the 2020 census. The two main settlements in town are Center Strafford and Bow Lake Village. History Once part of Barrington, Strafford was ...

Career

He began to make a name for himself in the early to mid-1970s as a literary minimalist, writing terse, imagistic poems. Critics have referred to Simic's poems as "tightly constructed Chinese puzzle boxes". He himself stated: "Words make love on the page like flies in the summer heat and the poet is merely the bemused spectator." Simic writes on such diverse topics as jazz, art, and philosophy. He was influenced by Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda, and Fats Waller. He is a translator, essayist and philosopher, opining on the current state of contemporary American poetry. He held the position of poetry editor of ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published works by Jack Kerouac, Phi ...

'' and was replaced by

Dan Chiasson Dan Chiasson (; born May 9, 1971 in Burlington, Vermont) is an American poet, critic, and journalist. The ''Sewanee Review'' called Chiasson "the country’s most visible poet-critic." He is the Lorraine C. Wang Professor of English Literature a ...

. He was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1995, received the Academy Fellowship in 1998, and was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2000. Simic was one of the judges for the 2007

Griffin Poetry Prize The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...

and continues to contribute poetry and prose to ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

''. He received the US$100,000

Wallace Stevens Award The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

in 2007 from the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York (state), New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetr ...

. Simic was selected by

James Billington James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

Librarian of Congress The Librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. In addition to overseeing the library, the Libra ...

, to be the fifteenth

, succeeding

Donald Hall Donald Andrew Hall Jr. (September 20, 1928 – June 23, 2018) was an American poet, writer, editor and literary critic. He was the author of over 50 books across several genres from children's literature, biography, memoir, essays, and includin ...

. In choosing Simic as the poet laureate, Billington cited "the rather stunning and original quality of his poetry". In 2011, Simic was the recipient of the Frost Medal, presented annually for "lifetime achievement in poetry".

Awards

PEN Translation Prize The PEN Translation Prize (formerly known as the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize through 2008) is an annual award given by PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to outstanding translations into the English language. It has been p ...

(1980) *

Ingram Merrill Foundation The Ingram Merrill Foundation was a private foundation established in the mid-1950s by poet James Merrill (1926-1995), using funds from his substantial family inheritance.J. D. McClatchyBraving the Elements ''The New Yorker'', 27 March 1995. Retriev ...

Fellowship (1983) *

MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 indi ...

(1984–1989) * Pulitzer Prize finalist (1986) * Pulitzer Prize finalist (1987) *

(1990) *

(2007) *

Frost Medal The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...

(2011) * Vilcek Prize in Literature (2011) * The Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award (2014) * Golden Wreath of the

Struga Poetry Evenings Struga Poetry Evenings (SPE) ( mk, Струшки вечери на поезијата, СВП; tr. ''Struški večeri na poezijata'', ''SVP'') is an international poetry festival held annually in Struga, North Macedonia. During the several deca ...

(2017)

Bibliography

Poetry

;Collections * 1967: * 1969: * 1971: ''Dismantling the Silence'' * 1972: ''White'' * 1974: ''Return to a Place Lit by a Glass of Milk'' * 1976: ''Biography and a Lament'' * 1977: ''Charon's Cosmology'' * 1978: ''Brooms: Selected Poems'' * 1978: ''School for Dark Thoughts'' * 1980:
They Forage at Night
' * 1980: ''Classic Ballroom Dances'' * 1982: ''Austerities'' * 1983: ''Weather Forecast for Utopia & Vicinity: Poems, 1967–1982'' * 1985: ''Selected Poems, 1963–1983'' (1986 Pulitzer Prize finalist) * 1986: ''Unending Blues'' (1987 Pulitzer Prize finalist) * 1989:
Pyramids and Sphinxes
' * 1989: ''Nine Poems'' * 1989: ''The World Doesn't End: Prose Poems'' (1990

) * 1990: ''The Book of Gods and Devils'' * 1992: ''Hotel Insomnia'' * 1994: ''A Wedding in Hell: Poems'' * 1995: ''Frightening Toys'' * 1996: ''Walking the Black Cat: Poems'', (National Book Award in Poetry finalist) * 1997: * 1999: ''Jackstraws: Poems'' (''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Notable Book of the Year) * 1999: * 2001: ''Night Picnic'', * 2003: ''The Voice at 3:00 A.M.: Selected Late and New Poems'' * 2004: ''Selected Poems: 1963–2003'', 2004 (winner of the 2005 International

) * 2005: ''Aunt Lettuce, I Want to Peek under Your Skirt'' (illustrated by Howie Michels) * 2005: ''My Noiseless Entourage: Poems'', * 2008: ''60 Poems'', * 2008: ''That Little Something: Poems'', * 2008: ''The Monster Loves His Labyrinth: Notebooks'', * 2008: ''Army: Memoir. In preparation'' * 2010: * 2013: * 2013: * 2015: * 2017: * 2019: * 2022: ;Translations * 1970: Ivan V. Lalić, ''Fire Gardens'' * 1970: Vasko Popa, ''The Little Box: Poems'' * 1970: ''Four Modern Yugoslav Poets: Ivan V. Lalić, Branko Miljkovic,

Milorad Pavić Milorad Pavić ( sr-Cyrl, Милорад Павић, ; 15 October 1929 – 30 November 2009) was a Serbian novelist, poet, short story writer, and literary historian. Born in Belgrade in 1929, he published a number of poems, short stories ...

, Ljubomir Simović'' * 1979: Vasko Popa, ''Homage to the Lame Wolf: Selected Poems'' * 1983: Co-translator, Slavko Mihalić, ''Atlantis'' * 1987: Tomaž Šalamun, ''Selected Poems'' * 1987: Ivan V. Lalić, ''Roll Call of Mirrors'' * 1989
Aleksandar Ristović
''Some Other Wine or Light'' * 1991: Slavko Janevski, ''Bandit Wind'' * 1992:

Novica Tadić Novica Tadić ( Smriječno, Plužine, 17 July 1949 – Belgrade, 23 January 2011) was a Serbian poet. Biography He was born in a small village in Montenegro and spent most of his life in Belgrade. His work was supported by many United States po ...

, ''Night Mail: Selected Poems'' * 1992: ''Horse Has Six Legs: Contemporary Serbian Poetry'' * 1999
Aleksandar Ristović
''Devil's Lunch'' * 2003: Radmila Lazić, ''A Wake for the Living'' * 2004:

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (born Graß; ; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Da ...

, ''The Günter Grass Reader'' ;List of poems

Non-fiction

* 1985: ''The Uncertain Certainty: Interviews, Essays, and Notes on Poetry'' * 1990: ''Wonderful Words, Silent Truth: Essays on Poetry and a Memoir'' * 1992: ''Dime-Store Alchemy: The Art of

Joseph Cornell Joseph Cornell (December 24, 1903 – December 29, 1972) was an American visual artist and film-maker, one of the pioneers and most celebrated exponents of assemblage. Influenced by the Surrealists, he was also an avant-garde experimental film ...

'' * 1994: ''The Unemployed Fortune-Teller: Essays and Memoirs'' * 1997: ''Orphan Factory: Essays and Memoirs'' * 2000: ''A Fly in the Soup: Memoirs'' * 2003: ''The Metaphysician in the Dark'' (University of Michigan Press, Poets on Poetry Series) * 2006: * 2008: ''The Renegade: Writings on Poetry and a Few Other Things'' * 2015: ''The Life of Images: Selected Prose''

References

External links

Profiles

Profile and poems of Charles Simic, including audio files
at the Poetry Foundation.
Profile and poems written and audio at Poetry Archivepoets.org biography, poems written and audioGriffin Poetry Prize biography and video clipHossack, Irene. "Charles Simic".
The Literary Encyclopedia; first published May 4, 2006.

Work

Charles Simic Poetry
published in Issue Three and Issue Four of The Coffin Factory
Charles Simic Online Resources, Library of CongressAudio recording (.mp3) of Charles Simic reading at the Key West Literary Seminar, 2003
in '' The Cafe Irreal'' Issue 13, February 1, 2005
Simic reading from a collection of his own works
(Audio, 14 mins)
Video of Charles Simic reading at Boston University's Robert Lowell Memorial Lecture, 2009
(60 mins)
php? collection/Audio recording 40 Charles Simic Poems read by Thomas Boeck at Voetica.comSimic author page and article archive
from ''

Interviews and review

*
Poetry featured in ''The Coffin Factory'' issues 3 and 4
(August 1998)
"Charles Simic: The Orphan Of Silence"; Doctoral thesis by Goran Mijuk
February 1, 2002
An Interview with Charles Simic
by

Dejan Stojanović Dejan Stojanović ( sr, Дејан Стојановић, ; born 11 March 1959) is a Serbian poet, writer, essayist, philosopher, businessman, and former journalist. His poetry is characterized by a recognizable system of thought and poetic de ...

''Serbian Magazine'', August 9–23, 1991 (No. 89)
SESSIONS: Confessions of a Poet Laureate
shorts.nthword.com, April 18, 2011
2008 ''Bomb Magazine'' discussion between Charles Simic & Tomaž Šalamun
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simic, Charles 1938 births Living people American male poets American Poets Laureate MacArthur Fellows Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Poets from New Hampshire Writers from Oak Park, Illinois Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winners Serbian male poets American people of Serbian descent The New Yorker people Translators to English People from Strafford, New Hampshire Poets from Illinois Writers from Belgrade Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath laureates University of New Hampshire faculty