Charles Simic, 70, currently the 15th poet laureate of the United States, was born in Belgrade, Serbia (then Yugoslavia), where his earliest memories involved ducking bombs, playing in ruins, and watching the grownups alternately cope and grieve. He immigrated with his family to New York City when he was 16, then moved to Chicago and graduated from Oak Park High School, where the famous writer Ernest Hemingway went to school. Some 60-plus books later, he is still processing culture shock. Both his poetry and his casual conversation are infused with a mordant humor, a background of it-better-be-good jazz, an affinity for fine wine, and an occasionally discordant New England sensibility, thanks to more than three decades as a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire. Simic’s publications and other links can be found on the Library of Congress website. … Back to Article