Literary Friction - The Joy of Words with Eley Williams

Why is there so much delight in discovering a juicy new word? Do you ever read the dictionary for fun? Is it annoying when people use obscure words too often? This month’s show is dedicated to the building blocks of all books: words. Joining us is the author Eley Williams, whose first novel The Liar’s Dictionary is both about words and delights in them. In the novel, Peter Winceworth, a disgruntled employee of Swansby’s New Encyclopedic Dictionary at the turn of the century, begins inserting his own invented words into the first edition. In the present day, intern Mallory is tasked with rooting out his mischievous insertions. We spoke to Eley about lots of things including our favourite words and reading the dictionary like a novel, so kick back and join us for an hour of lexical wonder and appreciation.

Recommendations on the theme, The Joy of Words:

Octavia: A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments by Roland Barthes

https://monoskop.org/images/f/f7/Roland_Barthes_Roland_a_lover_s_discourse_1978.pdf

Carrie: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

https://www.anthonyburgess.org/a-clockwork-orange/

General Recommendations:

Octavia: Blueberries by Ellena Savage

https://scribepublications.co.uk/books-authors/books/blueberries

Eley: and what if we are all allowed to disappear by Tania Hershman

https://www.guillemotpress.co.uk/poetry/tania-hershman

Carrie: The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/n-k-jemisin/the-fifth-season/9780316229296/

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