Customer Reviews

That Little Something

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Charles Simic, That Little Something (Harcourt, 2008)

Charles Simic is stepping down from the post of Poet Laureate a year early because, he says, being Poet Laureate keeps him away from doing what he loves best-- writing poetry. And honestly, as much as I like seeing Simic, unarguably one of America's best living poets, in such a position, anything that gets him to be more prolific is perfectly fine with me.

I have to say that Simic's distraction is noticeable in some of these poems, but really, when Simic brings his A game to the table, he's still matchless:

"The two of us just barely visible,
Ghostlike looking from high up
At the wet cobblestones,
The one pigeon who appeared hurt,
Who wanted to be somewhere else
And did his best to get there,
Limping badly and stopping to rest."
("One Wing of the Museum")

It's getting kind of boring saying "another winner from Charles Simic," but I'll put up with the boredom as long as Simic keeps turning out my favorite books of any given year. Wonderful, as usual. ****

The first reviewer nails it on the head everything he says is right on.

I love Simic's work. He is the reason I started writing myself. I owe everything to his book "Walking the Black Cat" which is a five star book. But I'm sad to say that his last 4 or 5 books have little to offer.

This is a very slight, minor work by Charles Simic and one wonders why he even bothered to publish it. Perhaps he's cashing in on his new poet laureate status- cynical but who can blame him? All the old familiar Simic symbols and metaphors are paraded out but without the depth of some of his earlier books. Also lacking is energy and inventiveness. His style is instantly recognizible and I'm afraid he has become something of a parody of himself. The title is really accurate- This book is Something and it is Little.