Surprise

There was our last class on that day. We were waiting for our professor to come and begin the class of "An Introduction on American Studies", but he made us surprised. We were called to go to conference room and there we met a writer and poet from the U.S. His name was Christopher Merrill. "He has published four collections of poetry including Brilliant Water and Watch Fire, for which he received the Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets."[1]

He also has some non- fiction books "Things of the Hidden God: Journey to the Holy Mountain (2005) and Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars (2001)"[2] , Which the latter is "A chronicle of the writer’s ten war-time journeys to the Balkans"[3]. There he talked nearly briefly about the experience of his trip to Iran. He appreciated hospitality of Iranians and liked foods. Then he talked about his city which grows 3 main things: corn, writer and something else that I didn't get.Then he answered the questions of students. Questions were in different fields, and contained a range from political questions to literary ones.What I write here is my perception from the whole talks. He said after 9/11 Americans motivated to know more about Islam, because if you don't know something you will fear more. He believed that literature of Obama is great in his books, also his team is well organized. About the invasion of America to Iraq and afqanistan, he said the first one had no reason, but the latter was always connected to Ben Laden, so it could have an excuse and justification.His answers to the different literary questions of students could be summed up that in every era, the poets and writers have responded to the needs of their own time.

[1] http://www.english.uiowa.edu/faculty/merrill/index.html

[2] http://www.christophermerrillbooks.com/

[3] . http://www.christophermerrillbooks.com/works.htm