tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17676950.post5153573714378376249..comments2024-03-21T23:30:20.105-04:00Comments on Poets Online - the blog: Charles Simic, Poet Laureate #15Poets Onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11880224855001620610noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17676950.post-58682106209224626772007-09-02T11:30:00.000-04:002007-09-02T11:30:00.000-04:00What is fascinating about Mr. Simic is that he did...What is fascinating about Mr. Simic is that he didn't begin learning English until he was 15 when he moved to New York: <BR/><BR/>"An immigrant learning English in his teens 'doesn’t take it for granted,' Simic said. 'One notices things about language, one notices things about American culture and other things that I imagine a native-born would not see.' "<BR/><BR/>Since most of us think in words and think in our native language, it's amazing to think of how a poet adapts his or her inner ear to the nuances, the rhythms, the subtleties of a new language and then goes on to write wonderful poems.<BR/><BR/>Simic isn't alone in this. There are others who have done so, and certainly poets who write translations do something quite similar. Still, it's wonderful that he has been chosen as our new Poet Laureate not just because he can write well, but also because he sets a good example of how immigrants to this country give so much to us.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com