The Novelist’s Lexicon: Writers on the Words That Define Their Work

Published by Columbia University Press 2010

The Novelist’s Lexicon

Writers on the Words That Define Their Work

Edited by: Villa Gillet / Le Monde

https://doi.org/10.7312/vill15080

Overview
Contents

About this book

At the renowned, international literary conference hosted by Villa Gillet and Le Monde, organizers asked more than seventy prominent authors to choose a word that opens a door to their work. Their musings, collected here for the first time, offer an extraordinary portrait of writing and reading from the novelist's perspective. Organized alphabetically by keyword, the anthology is filled with intriguing, amusing, and often surprising insight, essential to an intimate understanding of literature.

Through these personal "passwords," authors articulate the function of language, character, plot, and structure. Throughout the process, they reveal their relationship to the elements of story. Jonathan Lethem discusses the necessity of "furniture" in the novel. A. S. Byatt describes the power of the narrative web. Colum McCann details the benefits of anonymity. Daniel Mendelsohn expounds on the unknowable, or what the author should or should not impart to the reader. Etgar Keret explains the importance of balagan, a Hebrew word meaning "total chaos," and Annie Proulx clarifies terroir, which embodies the complexities of time, place, geography, weather, and climate. Other participants include Rick Moody on adumbrated, Upamanyu Chatterjee on the bildungsroman, Enrique Vila-Matas on discipline, Adam Thirwell on hedonism, Nuruddin Farah on identities, Andre Brink on the heretic, and Péter Esterhazy on the power and potential of words, words, words.

Author / Editor information

Created in 1987 by the Region Rhone Alpes, the Villa Gillet operates as a center for the study and promotion of contemporary art and thought. In collaboration with Le Monde , they organize the acclaimed festival and conference, International Forum on the Novel.

Reviews

Enlightening and enjoyable.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Foreword: The Courage of Words Guy Walter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Preface: Apt Words Robert Solé and Catherine Temerson Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xiii
A
Adumbrated Rick Moody Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Aletherature Hélène Cixous Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	2
Amen Zeruya Shalev Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	4
Anonymity Colum McCann Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	4
Autofiction Philippe Vilain Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	5
Available Lyonel Trouillot Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
Awareness of Banality Dimitri Verhulst Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	8
B
Balagan Etgar Keret Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	10
The Banana Republic of Letters Chloé Delaume Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	11
Beauty Robert Dessaix Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	12
Bildungsroman Upamanyu Chatterjee Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
Breton Christophe Honoré Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
Bricoleur Monika Fagerholm Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
C
Catin Jacques Henric Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
Chaff Ayerdhal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	18
Cinderella Eric Reinhardt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
Creature Alissa York Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
Cunnilingus Rikki Ducornet Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	24
D
Disappointment Nelly Arcan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	26
Discipline Enrique Vila-Matas Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	28
Dream Dany Laferrière Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
E
Échapée Marie Desplechin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	31
Evolution Karen Connelly Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	32
F
Faire Christine Angot Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	34
Fille Alain Fleischer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
Furniture Jonathan Lethem Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
H
Happiness Wei-Wei Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	38
Harmony and Reconciliation Hwang Sok-Yong Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	40
Hedonism Adam Thirlwell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	42
Heretic André Brink Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	43
Honesty Peter Stamm Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
I
“I” Rachid El-Daïf Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	46
Identities Nuruddin Farah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
Wise Imagination Pascal Mercier Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
India Tarun J. Tejpal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	49
Insomnia Ludmila Ulitskaya Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	50
Island Erri de Luca Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	53
L
To Last Giuseppe Culicchia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	55
Laughter Tariq Ali Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	56
Lies Adriaan van Dis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	58
Loyalty Duong Thu Huong Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	63
M
Mariquita James Cañón Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
The Meaning of a Word Kirsty Gunn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
The Strolling Mirror Rodrigo Fresán Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
N
No Olivia Rosenthal Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	70
No Why Yannick Haenel Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
Nomad Elif Shafak Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	74
The Novel as Web A. S. Byatt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	76
Novel/Life James Meek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	77
What Is the Novel? Alaa El Aswany Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	78
Novice Nicolas Fargues Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	80
P
Paralipomena Lydie Salvayre Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	81
Pathos Alberto Garlini Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	83
Phantom Ying Chen Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	84
Physical Luc Lang Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
Plague David Peace Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
(The) Present Jean-Yves Cendrey Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
R
“Real” Philippe Forest Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
The Real Nicole Malinconi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
(Holy) Russia Geneviève Brisac Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
S
A Successful Sentence Gila Lustiger Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
Shadow Elisabetta Rasy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	96
Signed D.C. Dennis Cooper Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	98
Silence David Albahari Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
The Depopulated Skies Thomas Jonigk Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	100
Suffering Fatos Kongoli Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	102
T
Terroir Annie Proulx Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	104
U
Un- Jonas Hassen Khemiri Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	106
Unknowable Daniel Mendelsohn Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	108
The Unreal Arthur Japin Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	109
W
Waiting/Attention Anne Weber Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	112
Woman Benoîte Groult Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	113
The Word Word Leslie Kaplan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	114
“Words, Words, Words” Péter Esterházy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	116
Work Rafael Chirbes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
Y
Yusuf Suhayl Saadi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	120
Z
Zorby James Flint Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	122
Contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Backmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 168

eBook

Published: October 27, 2010
ISBN: 9780231521697