Dime-store alchemy

The task Charles Simic undertakes in this diverse, essentially unclassifiable book is one of illumination and tribute. Rather than constrict his response to Joseph Cornell's surreal art to the objective terms of critical analysis, Simic sets out to recreate in a different medium - the written language of the poet - the experience of viewing Cornell's enigmatic constructions of boxes, collages, and film. Partly an appreciation of Cornell's work, partly an appropriation of his method, Dime-Store Alchemy interweaves elements of art history, poetry, and biography in a series of short texts that…