The Lunatic

Winner of the pulitzer prize Former poet laureate of the united states This latest volume of poetry from Charles Simic, one of America's most celebrated poets, demonstrates his signature mix of wry melancholy and sardonic wit—a dazzling collection as original, meditative, and humorous as the poet himself. For more than fifty years, Simic has delighted readers with his innovative form, quiet humor, and his rare ability to limn our interior life and concisely capture the depth of human emotion. These stunning, succinct poems validate and reinforce Simic's importance and relevance in modern poetry. “ 'When our souls are happy,' Charles Simic has written, 'they talk about food.' When my soul is happy, often enough, I want to talk about Mr. Simic.”—Dwight Garner, New York Times Book Review

Charles Simic, poet, essayist, and translator, was born in Yugoslavia in 1938 and immigrated to the United States in 1954. Since 1967, he has published twenty books of his own poetry, in addition to a memoir; the essay collection The Life of Images; and numerous books of translations for which he has received many literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the Griffin Prize, the MacArthur Fellowship, and the Wallace Stevens Award. Simic is a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books and in 2007 was chosen as poet laureate of the United States. He is emeritus professor at the University of New Hampshire, where he has taught since 1973, and is distinguished visiting writer at New York University.