ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyzes the uncertainties concerning the national character of Charles Simic’s work. It argues that while Simic’s is a poetics of uncertainty, his poems themselves are most often crafted as safe, hospitable spaces of encounter for the reader. The book explores the ways Simic’s poetry negotiates existential uncertainties, while interacting with the Christian mystical tradition. It suggests that Simic’s work connects with the literature in his espousal of a markedly apophatic approach to the divine, also known as the way of negation, or the via negativa. The book examines the ways Simic’s poetry negotiates existential uncertainties, while interacting with the Christian mystical tradition. It discusses Simic’s humor in conversation with three general categories of humor theories: superiority theory, release from restraint theory, and incongruity theory.
