With NaNoWriMo or National Novel-Writing Month getting underway this weekend, writers all over the world are doubtless concerned about the prospect of facing writer’s cramp, writer’s block (dare we say it?), and the other occupational hazards that lie in wait for those who live their lives by the pen.
Words
Guest Blog: Milorad Pavić, Dictionary of the Khazards – Keeping a Remembrance Alive
By Luna Gradinšćak Milorad Pavić (1929-2009) once said that in his life he experienced something which most famous writers get only after death. Certainly, he thought of glory and fame, which he lived to achieve. And it is true: his Dictionary of the Khazards (1984; English translation 1988) at the very beginning sold in enormous quantities. Nowdays he … Read more
Everyday Phrases and the King James Bible
The King James Version of the Bible was first published on this day, 2 May, in 1611. This is arguably still the definitive English translation of the Bible, containing a lyricism and beauty of phrasing which many find largely absent from the more recent translations of the Bible into English. Although the King James Bible is … Read more
10 Words Every Book-Lover Should Know
The word for a book-lover is a ‘bibliophile’, a word first recorded in print in 1824. Alternatively, there is the word ‘bookworm’, which is of an altogether more ancient pedigree: it first appears in 1580. But what words should every good bibliophile and bookworm know? Here are some of our favourites. If you enjoy these, we’ve also delved into the interesting world of words and language here.
The First Gothic Novel
The early Gothic novelists are an interesting lot. Matthew Lewis, known for his 1796 novel The Monk, wrote his will on a servant’s hat while dying on board a ship from Jamaica to the UK. William Beckford wrote the bestselling Gothic novel Vathek in French in 1782, with the English version being translated by a vicar four years later. … Read more