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 Reviewed by: The Rev 3rd Feb 2004 
 


The Voice at 3:00 A.M.

Charles Simic
Purchase this title at B&N

Simic's latest collection is something of a shortcut, a “new and selected poems” that has all the cache of a band releasing “greatest hits, volume 3” with one new track to entice the fans to buy it. If you've already got the bulk of the books Simic released between 1986 (Unending Blues) and 1999 (Jackstraws), the question is whether you want to shell out the cash for the small section of new poems. My advice, wait for the paperback.

For those who have not yet been introduced to the wonder that is Charles Simic, however, this is a great way to get an overview of his recent work. Probably best read in tandem with Selected Early Poems (or his best early volume,Return to a Place Lit by a Glass of Milk) for the full treatment. Either way, though, Simic is one of the finest American writers extant, and getting to know him will not only enrich your life, but give you something cool to talk about at boring society parties. Highly recommended.



See also
A Fly in the Soup by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
A Wedding in Hell by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Another Republic by Charles Simic & Mark Strand reviewed by The Rev
Charon's Cosmology by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Classic Ballroom Dances by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Jackstraws by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
My Noiseless Entourage by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Nine Poems by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Return to a Place Lit by a Glass of Milk by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
The Horse Has Six Legs by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
The World Doesn't End by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Unending Blues by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Walking the Black Cat by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
Weather Forecast for Utopia and Vicinity by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev
White by Charles Simic reviewed by The Rev