Great poetry is simply Simic
Mariane St-Maurice
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Features
There are many ways to describe Charles Simic. One could say he's a simple man, a funny man or even a literary genius. But if there's one thing Simic is not, despite being the United States' 15th Poet Laureate Consultant, it is a pretentious man.
He simply answered "No,'' when asked if he had any advice for up-and-coming poets, saying that it would be presumptuous of him to offer any advice. "If you love everything your elders have done, you don't have a chance,'' Simic added, encouraging young writers to think critically.
Born in Belgrade in 1938, Simic started writing poetry in high school and realized during his last semester that he was a poet. He moved to Chicago with his mother in 1954 and then came to New York City four years later.
"My first fall in New York was deliciously lonely,'' the poet recalled. "But I couldn't go back to Chicago because my friends would have said 'We told you so.'"
By the time he was 21, Simic had his first poem published and was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest poets of his time. Forty-nine years later, in 2007, Simic was appointed Poet Laureate and in January 2008 he began his semester as Baruch College's Harman Writer-in-Residence.
At a poetry reading on Tuesday, March 18, Simic was introduced by English Professor Grace Schulman as "one of the best poets writing in English today."
"To enter into his world is to change the way you look at the world," said Schulman, a renowned poet who met Simic during their New York University days.
When the time came for him to speak, Simic stood up to enthusiastic applause and stepped up to the lectern. His ease was immediately apparent as he started off by saying, "First of all, let me take off my jacket … it's hot in here!"
He fumbled for a few steps looking around the empty stage for a place on which to set down his jacket until English Professor Roslyn Bernstein, who created the Harman Writer-in-Residence series, offered to take it.
He simply answered "No,'' when asked if he had any advice for up-and-coming poets, saying that it would be presumptuous of him to offer any advice. "If you love everything your elders have done, you don't have a chance,'' Simic added, encouraging young writers to think critically.
Born in Belgrade in 1938, Simic started writing poetry in high school and realized during his last semester that he was a poet. He moved to Chicago with his mother in 1954 and then came to New York City four years later.
"My first fall in New York was deliciously lonely,'' the poet recalled. "But I couldn't go back to Chicago because my friends would have said 'We told you so.'"
By the time he was 21, Simic had his first poem published and was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest poets of his time. Forty-nine years later, in 2007, Simic was appointed Poet Laureate and in January 2008 he began his semester as Baruch College's Harman Writer-in-Residence.
At a poetry reading on Tuesday, March 18, Simic was introduced by English Professor Grace Schulman as "one of the best poets writing in English today."
"To enter into his world is to change the way you look at the world," said Schulman, a renowned poet who met Simic during their New York University days.
When the time came for him to speak, Simic stood up to enthusiastic applause and stepped up to the lectern. His ease was immediately apparent as he started off by saying, "First of all, let me take off my jacket … it's hot in here!"
He fumbled for a few steps looking around the empty stage for a place on which to set down his jacket until English Professor Roslyn Bernstein, who created the Harman Writer-in-Residence series, offered to take it.
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