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Ultimately, Eunoia--the shortest word in the English language to contain all five vowels, it literally means "beautiful thinking"--is a taxing reading experience rife with repetition, although the author's vocabulary is nothing short of extraordinary. Chapter "E" comes across the smoothest: "Whenever Helen enters Hell's deepest recesses, she sees Hell's meekest dwellers. She meets the repenters, never redeemed." "U" is entertaining: "Ubu fluffs Lulu's tutu. Ubu cups Lulu's dugs; Ubu rubs Lulu's buns; thus Lulu must pull Ubu's pud." Despite the feeling of constraint that permeates the work, there are episodes of perfectly manicured and musical prose sprinkled with endearing onomatopoeia. At the end, the author explains that the text makes a "Sisyphean spectacle of its labour, wilfully crippling its language in order to show that, even under such improbable conditions of duress, language can still express an uncanny, if not sublime, thought." His assertion is true: Bök's technique draws the reader's attention away from the narrative to the form and then back again, conveying real ideas with a mathematical beauty of language. --Leah Eichler --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just what I expected,
By
This review is from: Eunoia (Hardcover)
I had heard publisher and reviewer comments. The content is prose, but I think of it more as poetry. I plan to try reading it aloud - I believe it will sound great.
5.0 out of 5 stars
An instant favorite,
By Andrew Parker (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Eunoia (Paperback)
I was prompted to buy a copy of Eunoia after hearing Christian Bok reading excerpts on the radio. I devoured the book in one sitting, turning each page with greater anticipation, relishing each example of verbal ingenuity. To me, that's what Eunoia is essentially about - sheer brilliance. This book is the result of a titanic cerebral initiative and it comes off flawlessly. I've lent this book to dozens of people, and to be honest, not everyone has appreciated it in the same way I have. Some people have read the first page and handed it back saying "I don't get it" or "it makes my head hurt". Clearly, this book is not for everyone. If you have a passion for language you will love this book. If you like word-play, you will love this book. If you appreciate "cleverness" you will love this book. I smiled the whole way through it out of sheer amazement and disbelief. By far the best thing I've read this year, and something that I will continue to revisit over the years to come.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant and very funny,
By
This review is from: Eunoia (Paperback)
Christian Bok's Eunoia is not only brilliant, but it's very funny and reads quickly. I just wanted to add to the previous review that Eunoia recently won the Griffin Poetry Prize. It's been a best-seller in Canada for awhile. More on the Griffin prize can be found [on the web]it's the most prestigious Canadian award for poetry. If you like other OULIPO authors, Dr. Seuss & othre funny crazy stuff (tho not for the kids), sound poetry, innovative poetry, etc. you'll like this book. Check out other things Coach House has to offer, too. They're a smallish press but they publish amazing stuff. Also if you like Eunoia you should try Christian's other book, Crystallography. It's more visually oriented than Eunoia but just as enjoyable.
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