By By John Leonard

Pulitizer Price winner Charles Simic kicked off the second season of the University’s “Great Writers, Great Readings” series this fall.

Simic has been nominated for numerous awards over his 40-year career; among others, The New York Times nominated him for Notable Book of the Year for his work, Jackstraws.

He graduated from New York University and immediately began his career with What the Grass Says, in 1967.

He was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and has won several awards for his work in literary translation, including PEN International Translation Award.

Phillis Levin, an English professor at the University, likened Simic to Charlie Chaplin.

Like Chaplin, Simic’s works show both his profound sense of humor and great understanding of human suffering and despair.

He began the lecture by reading several poems from his early career in the late 1960s.

His first reading, “Club Midnight,” showcased his strong knack for vivid description and his subtle intellectual humor.

Simic in print, as well as on stage, holds a strong comedic presence.

His poem, the lighthearted faux-love piece “Might Be Love,” had the entire audience laughing.

In many of his readings, Simic pulled heavily on his experiences as a youth in communist Yugoslavia, one example being his poem “Double,” which begins with the words, “In my youth . . .”

In the poem, he discusses all the people his family and friends have said he looks like over the years.

In his poem “Empire,” Simic makes a reference to his grandmother’s criticisms of the country’s leaders, with lines like, “My grandmother prophesized . . .”

Simic is also continually making references to black and white films he watched as a child.

He is not one to rest on his laurels, either.

“I’m always writing poems and articles,” he said. “It’s continual.”

Simic will return to the University on Dec. 1 for a reading on the New College campus.