Eunoia: The Upgraded Edition

nWinner of the Griffin Poetry Prize (2002)n nStunning and masterful in its execution, Eunoia is a five-chapter book in which each chapter is a univocal lipogram.n nThe word 'eunoia, ' which literally means 'beautiful thinking, ' is the shortest word in English that contains all five vowels. Directly inspired by the Oulipo (l'Ouvroir de LittÃ(c)rature Potentielle), a French writers' group interested in experimenting with different forms of literary constraint, Eunoia is a five-chapter book in which each chapteris a univocal lipogram - the first chapter has A as its only vowel, the second chapter E, etc. Each vowel takes on a distinct personality: the I is egotistical and romantic, the O jocular and obscene, the E elegiac and epic (including a retelling of the Iliad!).n nStunning in its implications and masterful in its execution, Eunoia has developed a cult following, garnering extensive praise and winning the Griffin Poetry Prize. The original edition was never released in the U.S., but it has already been a bestseller in Canada and the U.K. (published by Canongate Books), where it was listed as one of the Times' top ten books of 2008.n nThis new edition features several new but related poems by Christian Bok and an expanded afterword.n n'Eunoia is a novel that will drive everybody sane.' --Samuel Delanyn n'Eunoia takes the lipogram and rendersit obsolete.' --Kenneth Goldsmithn n'A marvellous, musical texture of rhymes and echoes.' --Harry Mathewsn n'An exemplary monument for 21st century poetry.' --Charles Bernsteinn n'Bök's dazzling word games are the literary sensation of the year.' --The Timesn n'A resounding success ... brilliant.' --The Guardiann n'Brilliant ... beautiful and strange.' --Today Programme, BBC Radio 4n n'Impressive.' --Sunday Telegraphn n'No mere Christmas stocking filler for Countdown fans. Rather, it's an ingenious little novel ... playful and irreverent ... charming.' --Metron