silverpoint See metal point
Silvers, Phil orig. Philip Silversmith (b. May 11, 1912, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—d. Nov. 1, 1985, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. actor and come¬ dian. He began his career as a boy singer in vaudeville and a comedian in burlesque. After making his film debut in 1940, he appeared as comic relief in many feature films. He acted on Broadway in High Button Shoes (1947-50) and starred in Top Banana (1951-52, Tony Award; film, 1954). He is best remembered for his role as Sgt. Bilko in the television series The Phil Silvers Show (1955-59; originally known as You’ll Never Get Rich), for which he won several Emmy Awards. He appeared in the film version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and its Broadway revival (1972, Tony Award). His popularity stemmed in part from his highly recognizable grin, horn-rimmed glasses, and catchphrases.
Silverstein, Shel(by) (b. Sept. 25, 1932, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—d. May 10, 1999, Key West, Fla.) U.S. cartoonist, children’s author, poet, song¬ writer, and playwright. Often compared to Dr. Seuss (see Theodor Geisel), Silverstein is best known for his children’s stories and poems. Among his memorable characters are the protagonist in Uncle Shelby’s Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back (1963), the boy-man and tree in The Giving Tree (1964), and the partial circle in The Missing Piece. Silver¬ stein was credited with helping young readers develop an appreciation of poetry, and his serious verse reveals an understanding of common child¬ hood anxieties and wishes.
Simcoe, John Graves (b. Feb. 25, 1752, Cotterstock, Northampton¬ shire, Eng.—d. Oct. 26, 1806, Exeter, Devonshire) British soldier and colonial administrator in Canada. He served in the American Revolution as commander of the Queen’s Rangers (1777-79). He was taken prisoner (1779) but later released (1781) and invalided back to England. After the Constitutional Act was passed, he served as the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) from 1792 to 1796. He encouraged immi¬ gration and agriculture and sup¬ ported defense and road building.
Simcoe, Lake Lake, southeastern Ontario, Canada. Located between Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario north of Toronto, Lake Simcoe is 287 sq mi (743 sq km) in area.
Numerous small streams and the Trent Canal feed the lake, which is 30 mi (48 km) long and contains sev¬ eral islands; the largest, Georgina, is an Indian reserve. The lake is a popu¬ lar summer vacation area.
Simenon Vse-ms-'noA, Georges (-Joseph-Christian) (b. Feb. 13,
1903, Liege, Belg.—d. Sept. 4, 1989,
Lausanne, Switz.) Belgian-born French novelist. During 1923-33 he wrote more than 200 pseudonymous books of pulp fiction. His first novel under his own name was The Case of Peter the Lett (1931), in which he
introduced one of the best-known characters in detective fiction, the Pari¬ sian police official Inspector Maigret. He wrote some 80 more Maigret novels, as well as about 130 psychological novels, numerous short sto¬ ries, and autobiographical works, and was one of the most prolific and widely published authors of the 20th century. Simenon’s central theme is the essential humanity of even the isolated, abnormal individual and the sorrow at the root of the human condition. Employing a style of rigorous simplicity, he evokes a prevailing atmosphere of neurotic tensions with sharp economy.
Simeon \'si-me-9n\ I known as Simeon the Great (b. 864/865 —d. May 27, 927) Tsar of the first Bulgarian empire (925-927). The son of Boris I, he succeeded his father in 893 after the short intervening reign (889-893) of his dissolute elder brother, Vladimir. Hoping to gain the imperial throne, he fought five wars with the Byzantine Empire between 894 and 923. He adopted the title “Tsar of All the Bulgarians” in 925. He extended his power over southern Macedonia, southern Albania, and Ser¬ bia but probably lost Bulgaria’s dominion north of the Danube.
Simeon Stylites \stl- , llt-,ez. Saint or Simeon the Elder (b. c.
390, Sisan, Cilicia—d. 459, Telanissus, Syria) Syrian ascetic. A shepherd, he entered a monastic community but was expelled for excessive auster¬ ity and became a hermit. His reputed miracle working drew such crowds that he took to living atop a 6-ft (2-m) pillar (Greek stylos) c. 420, becom¬ ing the first of the stylites (pillar hermits). He remained atop a second, 50-ft (15-m) pillar until his death; a railing prevented his falling, and food was brought by disciples. He inspired other ascetics and is called Sim¬ eon the Elder to distinguish him from a 6th-century stylite of the same name. Stylites were documented as late as the 19th century in Russia.
Simic \'sim-ik\, Charles (b. May 9, 1938, Belgrade, Yugos.) Yugoslavian-born U.S. poet. When he was 15 years old, he and his mother moved to Paris; a year later they joined his father in the U.S. After gradu¬ ating from New York University, he translated Yugoslavian poetry into English. His first volume of poetry. What the Grass Says (1967) was rec¬ ognized for its lively, surrealistic imagery; the collection The World Doesn ’t End (1989) won a Pulitzer Prize. He held a MacArthur Fellowship 1984-89. Since 1973 he has taught at the University of New Hampshire.
simile Vsi-mo-leX Figure of speech involving a comparison between two unlike entities. In a simile, unlike a metaphor, the resemblance is indicated by the words “like” or “as.” Similes in everyday speech reflect simple comparisons, as in “He eats like a bird” or “She is slow as molasses.” Similes in literature may be specific and direct or more lengthy and com¬ plex. The Homeric, or epic, simile, which is typically used in epic poetry, often extends to several lines.
Simla See Shimla
Simmel Vzim-oL, Georg (b. March 1, 1858, Berlin, Ger.—d. Sept. 26, 1918, Strassburg) German sociologist and philosopher. From teaching posts at the universities of Berlin (1885-1914) and Strassburg (1914-18), Simmel did much to establish sociology as a basic social science in Ger¬ many. He sought to isolate the general forms or recurrent regularities of social interaction from the specific content of definite kinds of activity, such as political, economic, or aesthetic. He gave special attention to the problem of authority and obedience. His ideas became influential in the U.S. through the works of Robert E. Park, Albion Small, and Ernest Bur¬ gess. See also interactionism.
Simms, Willie (b. Jan. 16, 1870, near Augusta, Ga., U.S.—d. Feb. 26, 1927, Asbury, N.J.) U.S. jockey. Simms began racing in 1887 and was one of the most successful early adopters of the short stirrup. In 1895 Simms became the first American jockey to win in England, where English sportswriters soon referred to the short stirrup and crouching pos¬ ture as the “American seat.” Simms won the Belmont Stakes in 1893 and 1894, the Kentucky Derby in 1896 and 1898, and the Preakness Stakes in 1898; he is the only African American to win all of the Triple Crown classics. He was one of the first jockeys to be elected to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
Simon Vse-'mo'A, Claude (Eugene Henri) (b. Oct. 10, 1913, Tanan¬ arive [now Antananarivo], Madag.—d. July 6, 2005, Paris, France) French writer. Captured by the Nazis while fighting in World War II, he escaped to join the French Resistance. He completed his first novel during the war. His works, mixing narration and stream of consciousness in densely constructed prose, are representative of the nouveau roman (“new novel”), or French antinovel, that emerged in the 1950s. Perhaps most important is the cycle
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Simon ► Sims
1755
comprising The Grass (1958), The Flanders Road (1960), The Palace (1962), and History (1967), with its recurring characters and events. His other novels include The Wind (1957), Triptych (1973), The Acacia ( 1989), and The Trolley (2001). He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1985.