The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
John Koenig
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ —The Washington Post A truly original book in every sense of the word, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express—until now. Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street, realizing that everyone is the main character in their own story, each living a life as vivid and complex as your own. more
272 pages, Hardcover
First published Simon & Schuster
4.47
Rating
3728
Ratings
649
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John Koenig
9 books 104 followers
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Out of the two dictionaries I've read in the last year, this one is definitely my favorite. And a word for bookworms; Ringlorn:"adj. the wish that the modern world felt as epic as the one depicted in old stories and folktales-a place of tragedy and transcendence, of oaths and omens and fates, where everyday life felt like a quest for glory, a mythic bond with an ancient past, or a survival against a clear enemy, rather than an open-ended parlor game where all the rules are made up and the points don't matter. ". more
‘This is a dictionary—a poem about everything. ’Sometimes we are caught in an abstract feeling, some seemingly inexpressible vibe or mindset that hovers right on the cusp of language best explored by poets equipped with imagery and metaphor to cast a shadow of its shape in our minds. 12 years in the making, and originating as a podcast and youtube channel, John Koenig’s The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows aims to harness these emotions with language in order to better talk about them. Collected here are neologisms, all completely coined by Koenig based on research into word etymology, with the etymology of each new word explained as well as definitions for the obscure or abstract emotions denoted by the invented word. It is a lovely linguistic exercise that hones in on feeling we’ve all likely experienced but never had a word for and to see them collected here makes the reader feel much less alone knowing these abstract emotions are rather universal. more
"This is a dictionary—a poem about everything. "Based on a podcast that I haven't heard, this is a dictionary of newly created words, that try to capture something of the human experience heretofor uncaptured. The lazy comparison is of course with Douglas Adams' and John Lloyd's The Meaning of Liff, a similar idea but more concerned with being funny. fensivenessn. A knee-jerk territorial reaction when a friend displays a casual interest in one of your obsessions. more
karanoian. the terror of the blank page, which can feel both liberating and confining, in both the limitlessness of its potential and the looseness of its boundaries. Japanese 空の (kara-no), blank. Pronounced “kar-uh-noi-uh. ”Officially one of the weirdest books I have ever read, and I have read some pretty weird shit in my time. more
⭐️All ⭐️ the ⭐️ stars ⭐️ in ⭐️ the ⭐️ universe⭐️ for⭐️ this⭐️ artfully⭐️ beautiful⭐️ masterpiece⭐️. more
Read July 2022. Edited & "recycled" Sept. 20224. 5 stars . (Speaking of which:)star-stuckadj. more
A beautiful collection of words that reads differently than a normal dictionary in that it is deeply introspective, creating words for human feelings or experiences that are hard to put into words. Here are a few of my favorites:aulasy n. the sadness that there’s no way to convey a powerful memory to people who weren’t there at the time - driving past your childhood home to show it to a friend, or pointing to a picture of a loved one you lost, only to realize that to them it’s just another house, just another face. heartworm n. a relationship or friendship that you can’t get out of your head, which you thought had faded long ago but is still somehow alive and unfinished, like an abandoned campsite whose smoldering embers still have the power to start a forest fire. more
قاموس المشاعر الغامضة هو قاموس بالفعل، ليس عنواناً شاعري بحت، قام بخلقه الكاتب "جون كوينغ"، ولكني أعدك أنه ليس كأي قاموس قرأته من قبل، فهذا قاموس للمشاعر. أحياناً ينتابك شعور لا تعرف كيف تصنفه، لا تعرف اسمه أو وصفه، حالة غريبة غامضة سواء بمعنى إيجابي أو سلبي، الحياة مليئة بدرجات وطيات من التعقيد، لم تعد الحياة ببساطتها الأولى، وذلك سبب التعقيد الأساسي، فيحاول القاموس أن يُخبرك بلطف وببساطة أنك لست وحيداً، هناك من يشعرون بنفس شعورك، ويأتي هذا القاموس ليجمعهم ولا يجعلهم يشعرون بغرابة أو بتعقيد أكثر من اللازم، فعندما تعرف اسم ما تشعر به، سيجعل الحياة أقل غموضاً على الأقل، وهذا من أهداف القاموس العديدة. لا أستطيع تخيل مجهود الكاتب في كتابة وخلق مصطلحات وكلمات هذا القاموس، العديد من المشاعر التي يجعل لها معنى بمنطق واضح ولكن تأتي الصعوبة في استقاءها من اللغة، من الإنجليزية والالمانية والصينية ولغات أخرى، محصلة واسعة من الكلمات واللغات بين دفتي هذا القاموس، ما يربطهم كلهم كونهم مشاعر غامضة؛ لن تصبح كذلك بالطبع بعد معرفتها، شعور باللذة والمتعة عندما يُضاف إليك معنى جديد وأننا كبشر مهما ظننا أننا نمتلك مشاعر غامضة، فلا بد أن هناك من شعر بها في مكان ما في العالم. قراءة واحدة لهذا الكتاب لا تكفي، فهو غزير وواسع الاطلاع، وكأي قاموس تحتاج إلى الاطلاع عليه مرات عديدة، وتأكد أنك في كل مرة ستذهلك لذة الاكتشاف الاولى لمعنى جديد ولكن هذه المرة لشعور وليس كلمة، أو الاثنان معاً. كتاب مذهل ومدهش، وواجب قراءته على مهل، ومرات عديدة. more
A beautiful, strange book, that reads a little differently than a dictionary in that it meanders and muses and dives deep into emotions in a way that a regular dictionary could never do. But there is no narrative, so if one is expecting a thread to run through them all, they may be disappointed, but lovers of words and of language will find this to be a truly delightful addition to their bookshelves. more
My favorite parts of this book is where John Koenig explores further rather than providing his word and a definition only. For example, he writes about how each person we interact with "only ever sees [us] in isolated context inhabiting certain roles at certain times," which made me think. Furthermore, "each of their impressions may be accurate in the moment, but each only reflects a narrow band of the full spectrum of you. " This is so true and I often wonder whether we can truly 'know' another person. I appreciated Koenig's explanation of how some people live in the shadow of others who have stronger personalities, or perhaps express themselves more confidently. more
It's wonderful and so fulfilling to be able to put a feeling or thought into words and John Koenig helps us do just that in "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. "This book would make a great addition to every library and bookcase; a book that you can pull off the self whenever you're feeling like it, when you're so lost in your thoughts and feelings and want to find the answers for all those emotions within the pages of a book. Koenig helps us see through these word entries that we're not alone; that our intrusive thoughts do not belong exclusively to us (like klexos: when we're dwelling on the past) and that unexpected things occur for all of us (like how we've all experienced a moment of tangency: a fleeting glimpse of what might have been). What I mainly liked in this book:- The fitting way the words are split into sections - The use of imagery throughout the book - The use of quotes in the beginning of each chapter/section- The pronunciation guide for each word and the mention of the language of originCan't wait to purchase a print copy of this beautiful book to add to my collection. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. more
One part lived human experience+ one part psychology+ one part existentialism+ one part literary musing= The Dictionary of Obscure SorrowsThe Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a fascinating compendium of author-created terms for concepts that have been previously unnamed, but that many of us have commonly experienced in our lives. Some of the concepts resonated very strongly with me; others did not so much. Regardless, the cumulative effect of the book for me is that of a profound philosophical rumination on our minds, our memories, our perceptions, our emotions, and the existential conundrum that is the human condition. I don’t want to give too much away, but here are a couple of examples:galagogn. the state of being simultaneously entranced and unsettled by the vastness of the cosmos, which makes your deepest concerns feel laughably quaint, yet vanishingly rare. more
This is the culmination of a long-running project: the creation of words and phrases to describe emotional situations for which we have no language. I had not previously thought about what huge gaps we have in our lexicon, when it cones to expressing how we feel. Imagine what release it might be for the flustered and frustrated, if they could (sorry for the cliché) "use their words. " This is long overdue, fascinating, and eminently valuable. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an uncorrected proof copy, whereby I could peruse this treasure at my leisure. more
Le parole sono chiaviIl "Dizionario delle tristezze senza nome" è un piccolo gioiello che ha la capacità di mettere in connessione quegli strani sentimenti che compongono la grande e complessa trama dell’umanità Perché il nostro panorama interno è difficile da decifrare ed è per questo che all’interno del volume non c’è un ordine alfabetico come nei dizionari tradizionali, ma una mappa di parole dal valore vero creativo e poetico che evidenziano la stravaganza degli esseri umani, le loro paure gioie e desideri che gravitano nel quotidiano. Leggerlo fa prestare un po’ più di attenzione al mondo e alle persone che abbiamo intorno, bilanciando emotività e frivolezza Per creare questa delicata gamma di sfumature John Koenig ha attinto all’etimologia e al significato di prefissi, suffissi e radici che ha rielaborato per offrire, a ciò che prima era indefinibile, definizioni tanto d’impatto quanto poetiche. Il suo è stato un lungo lavoro, iniziato nel 2006 da studente nel Minnesota quando si è cimentato con la poesia, e divenuto poi un blog e nel 2014 un canale YouTube. Mania del neologismo . Forse si, e ben venga, a mio avviso, il bisogno di neologismi in grado di definire quelle sfumature emotive che in un attimo fanno diventare la certezza un ricordo, i silenzi armi, e la voglia di sentire il rumore del mare un bisogno spasmodico Dunque, parole che ci accompagnano tra felicità effimera e malinconia, pronte a risollevarci a darci una piccola spinta, in questo mare di incertezze che è la vita E a proposito di mare, ne scelgo una, tra le tante belle ed originali che ho incontrato, la Mareviglia, “Il sentimento di meraviglia che ti coglie quando ti appare, all'improvviso, il mare. more
If you love words and believe that a language is an ever-evolving thing of beauty, this is a book for you. English, for all its simplicity, is an insufficient language when it comes to emotional intelligence representation. There are simply too many notions, moods, and obscure sorrows for which there are no words…well, for which they weren’t any words until John Koenig came along and made them up. Joining the esteemed ranks of Shakespeare, More, Milton, and others, Koenig has been coning the words to describe all the things that used to take paragraphs to describe before for a while now through his website. Eventually, he accumulated enough of them for a dictionary…hence, this dictionary. more
UPD: написалаhttps://marinkopon. medium. com/the-dic. Обожнюю обожнюю обожнюю. Я пам’ятаю як ця книга зароджувалась на тамблері, як ці дефініції потрапляли у вирій і люди відчували те саме, малювали фанарти. more
What are you waiting for. You better read this ❤️"while the language is still alive, while the words still have meaning. ". more
John Koenig'in bu kitapla aynı adı taşıyan blogunu ve Youtube kanalını uzun süredir takip ediyorum. Dolayısıyla bu kitaba başlarken neyle karşılaşacağımın farkındaydım, hayal kırıklığına da uğramadım. Var olduğunu bildiğimiz ancak henüz onu tanımlayan bir kelimeye sahip olmayan nesneler, duygular, olaylar için kelimeler yaratma fikri şimdiye kadar çok defa kullanılsa da hala etkileyiciliğini koruyor bence. Koenig de bu işi şüphesiz iyi yapıyor. Kitapla ilgili bir sorunum bazı tanımları okurken bir kişisel gelişim kitabı okuyormuş gibi hissetmem oldu. more
The time has sadly come that I have finished this book (dictionary. ). This was so frickin good I can't think of very many words to describe it. I think every single person should read this and see how the author is able to explain human emotions and experiences. It is honestly pretty profound to me how he is able to capture the essence of being human in such short definitions. more
My only complaint is that it is not longer. more
This is a listing of words the author has invented. That sounds easy to do, but the trick is to do it so well. I don't know anything about John Koenig, but he clearly knows and loves words in many languages for their own sake, and has an ear for what makes a good definition and the perfect word to evoke that definition. He's very cleverly chosen to define words whose meaning is a previously unnamed feeling. It makes the whole project a spiritualy meaningful one in a way that naming deep-sea fish or fast-food flavors could never be. more
First off, this is not a dictionary. Nor is it a plot driven book. (I received an advance copy of this book, but this review is purely my opinion)The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is neither fiction or non-fiction, but something in between to stir a reader's senses and imagination. More precisely, the author loves words, and as he embroiders new meanings to unknown words he brings them either down to a new level, or up into the sky as he adds the "what if. " to the thread of thought. more
Interesting book but I wish there were a non-white-male version of this. What about the word for being female and being treated or referred to as property. What is the word for those ‘mini-rapes’ when you know a man is mentally undressing you as he looks at you. What about the word for subtle belittlement because of one’s background or beliefs. What are the words for all the many feelings individuals experience who don’t share a common skin color or cultural background. more
A very cathartic read. although the words were made up, it’s a surreal feeling to get a definition for a specific emotion. My favourite word is “sonder” — the awareness that everyone around you is the main character of their own story. more
Have you ever come across a situation that just didn’t have an exact word that defined it. Try this book. Strongly recommended. We all live fairly complicated lives and sometimes we need help to decode it. To put our feelings into words so that those words, now powerful enough to survive like a well-fed Voldemort, can challenge the world order. more
So I first found out about John Koenig's The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows from Stephanie Garber's Instagram post. I looked into it and it sounded intriguing. This is basically a small dictionary of words that may or may not be real, based on your own opinion, yet they describe the incredibly real feelings we've all had at some point. It's kind of hard to review what is essentially a choice dictionary. Not all words are in here. more
This book is absolutely beautiful. Koenig gives name to many of the feelings and thoughts we have in our daily lives, the little epiphanies and the big, the joys, the insecurities, the things that make us human, which sometimes feel entirely alienating, when in fact, other people feel them too. I listened to the audiobook I got today after recommending it to the three library branches I use (find out if there's more than one library system in your area, it's improved my life exponentially). Luckily they got it in right away. Koenig's reading is wonderful. more
Questo libro è letteralmente… un dizionario. Con tanto di lemmi, etimologie, spiegazioni e chi ne ha ne metta. Dal punto di vista tecnico non posso certo lamentarmi, ma sia la prefazione che la postfazione si sono rivelate alquanto interessanti. Non è un segreto che descrivere un’emozione o una sensazione sia arduo, soprattutto in una società iperstimolata come la nostra, ma mi è piaciuto il concept dietro la stesura di questo dizionario, così come la domanda: “Ma questi termini sono inventati. ”Sì, ma le parole non sono forse tutte inventate a favore della comunicazione stabilita dalle esigenze della società. more