Dictionary Stories

Short Fictions and Other Findings

Fiction & Literature, Humorous, Short Stories
Cover of the book Dictionary Stories by Jez Burrows, Harper Perennial
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jez Burrows ISBN: 9780062652621
Publisher: Harper Perennial Publication: April 10, 2018
Imprint: Harper Perennial Language: English
Author: Jez Burrows
ISBN: 9780062652621
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publication: April 10, 2018
Imprint: Harper Perennial
Language: English

"Dictionary Stories isn’t just a book for word nerds, but for anyone for whom language and story matter. Everybody will find themselves thoroughly in love with this book."  —Kory Stamper, editor for Merriam-Webster, and author of Word by Word

Jez Burrows opened the New Oxford American Dictionary and sat, mystified. Instead of the definition of "study" he was looking for, he found himself drawn to the strangely conspicuous, curiously melodramatic sentence that followed it: "He perched on the edge of the bed, a study in confusion and misery." It read like a tiny piece of fiction on the lam and hiding out in the dictionary—and it wasn’t alone. Was it possible to reunite these fugitive fictions? To combine and remix example sentences to form new works? With this spark and a handful of stories shared online, Dictionary Stories was born.

This genre-bending and wildly inventive collection glows with humor, emotion, and intellect. Effortlessly transcending sentence level, Burrows lights between the profound and the absurd, transporting readers into moments, worlds, and experiences of remarkable variety. Featuring original illustrations by the author, Dictionary Stories is a giddy celebration of the beauty and flexibility of language.

* *

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"Dictionary Stories isn’t just a book for word nerds, but for anyone for whom language and story matter. Everybody will find themselves thoroughly in love with this book."  —Kory Stamper, editor for Merriam-Webster, and author of Word by Word

Jez Burrows opened the New Oxford American Dictionary and sat, mystified. Instead of the definition of "study" he was looking for, he found himself drawn to the strangely conspicuous, curiously melodramatic sentence that followed it: "He perched on the edge of the bed, a study in confusion and misery." It read like a tiny piece of fiction on the lam and hiding out in the dictionary—and it wasn’t alone. Was it possible to reunite these fugitive fictions? To combine and remix example sentences to form new works? With this spark and a handful of stories shared online, Dictionary Stories was born.

This genre-bending and wildly inventive collection glows with humor, emotion, and intellect. Effortlessly transcending sentence level, Burrows lights between the profound and the absurd, transporting readers into moments, worlds, and experiences of remarkable variety. Featuring original illustrations by the author, Dictionary Stories is a giddy celebration of the beauty and flexibility of language.

* *

More books from Harper Perennial

Cover of the book The Making of a Philosopher by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book 236 Pounds of Class Vice President by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Flatscreen by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Inventing the Abbotts by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book This Explains Everything by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Prisons We Choose to Live Inside by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book How to Write a New York Times Bestseller in Ten Easy Steps by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book The Collected Poems by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Adore by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book The Pious Ones by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book The Cabala and The Woman of Andros by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Wasting Time on the Internet by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book The Year of Reading Dangerously by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Men Giving Money, Women Yelling by Jez Burrows
Cover of the book Care of the Soul Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition by Jez Burrows
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy