Poet Charles Simic has been appointed Poet Laureate Consultant to the Library of Congress for 2007-2008.
James H. Billington, librarian at the Library of Congress, announced on August 2 that Charles Simic will begin his duties as Poet Laureate this autumn, when the poet will open the literary series on October 17, 2007, by giving a reading of his work.
Biographical Sketch
Simic was born May 9, 1938, in Yugoslavia. His father came to America and later sent for Simic and his mother who had relocated to Paris. Simic arrived in the U.S. in 1954 at age 16. He has been an American citizen for 36 years, and he currently resides in New Hampshire.
Working at the Chicago Sun Times to pay for tuition, Simic began studies at the University of Chicago but later finished his Bachelor’s degree at New York University in 1966, after a stint in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1963. In addition to writing poetry, he translated poetry and served as editorial assistant at Aperture, a magazine of photography, from 1966 until 1974. In 1964, he married Helen Dubin, a fashion designer; the couple has two children.
Wanted to Impress Girls
Simic claims he started writing poetry in high school to impress girls, a claim made by many poets, including former laureate Ted Kooser. Simic graduated from the same high school that Ernest Hemmingway attended in Oak Park, Illinois.
Poet Laureate
About being appointed poet laureate, Simic says, "I am especially touched and honored to be selected because I am an immigrant boy who didn’t speak English until I was 15."
James Billington has said about Simic’s poetry, "The range of Charles Simic’s imagination is evident in his stunning and unusual imagery. He handles language with the skill of a master craftsman, yet his poems are easily accessible, often meditative and surprising. He has given us a rich body of highly organized poetry with shades of darkness and flashes of ironic humor."
Simic’s Literary Career
In 1973, Simic began teaching creative writing and literature at the University of New Hampshire, where he is now professor emeritus. In addition to his 18 books of poetry, he has written essays and translated poetry. For his book of prose poems titled The World Doesn't End, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1990. He served as a MacArthur fellow from 1984-1989.
His book Walking the Black Cat made the finalist list of the National Book Award for Poetry in 1996. He was awarded the Griffen Prize for his Selected Poems: 1963-2003.
Simic has also served as a literary critic, and he has written a memoir titled A Fly in the Soup. He penned a biography of Joseph Cornell, a surrealist sculptor. Simic’s forthcoming book, That Little Something, is scheduled to appear in February 2008.
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