Nabokovian in his caustic charm and sexy intelligence, Simic perceives the mythi
c in the mundane and pinpoints the perpetual suffering that infuses human life w
ith both agony and bliss. . . . And he is the master of juxtaposition, lining up
the unlikeliest of pairings and contrasts as he explores the nexuses of madness
and prophecy, hell and paradise, lust and death. Donna Seaman, "Booklist"
"As
one reads the pithy, wise, occasionally cranky epigrams and vignettes that fill
this volume, there is the definite sense that we are getting a rare glimpse into
several decades worth of private journals--and, by extension are privy to the t
ickings of an accomplished and introspective literary mind." "Rain Taxi"
Writte
n over many years, this book is a collection of notebook entries by our current
Poet Laureate.
