I do not know about Gadsby by Wright, but a glorious showing of lipogrammatic authorial skills, known in its original français as La disparition by Gorgs Prc (and traduit into our Saxon idiom by Gil Adair as A Void - a miraculous brainchild of translatory arts) in fact has a plot - a witty and smart plot involving an unusual void - Vol. 5 of a 26-book almanac abandons its rightful spot in Anton Voyl, an insomniac’s, small flat, wholly without warning. Foul play follows hard upon. Good goddamn book. Find it.
Part of its first paragraph follows in translation:
“Today, by radio, and also on giant hoardings, a rabbi, an admiral notorious for his links to Masonry, a trio of cardinals, a trio, too, of insignificant politicians (bought and paid for by a rich Anglo-Canadian banking corporation), inform us all of how our country risks dying by starvation. A rumour, that’s my initial thought, as I switch off my radio, a rumour or possibly a hoax. Propaganda, I murmur anxiously - as though, just by saying so, I might allay my doubts - typical politician’s propaganda…”
Lo! A hint: In your writing programs such as MS Word, hit [ctrl]-[f] or its own shortcut to do look through your posting to find any of this anathaimatic glyph.
I thought I would try this, to find out if it is as bloody difficult as you might want to think. Obviously, you find distinct limits as to the words in your vocabulary that you can actually type. Overall, though, so long as your brain has a fair grasp of the main goal, and you do not allow any distractions, you should not fail in this task. Mind you, this paragraph is probably not a wondrous thing to scan, but it works.
This is kind of difficult. I don’t know if I can do it. I am trying to avoid it but don’t know if I can. This is scary, how long must I go on this way? Until I run out of words, until my mind is nothing but a mound of goo and I go nuts, until I uh, um, oh shit! I don’t want to finish my work, my boss is out for today so I’m playing but I must finish my tasks. So long!
Sorry, sort of braking the rul, but for a good r*ason:
Thr is a novl by Georgs Prc calld (in nglish translation) “A Void”. It is svral hundrd pags long and contains no e’s. Originally writtn in Frnch, I bliv* that its translation into nglish was an vn mor astonishing f*at.
Prc wnt on to writ a short ssy “Les Revenentes” using only e’s. vn hard*r!
I’m of two minds about this. Firstly, it’s difficult to watch your typing and shun said glyph.
…
with that out of thE way.
I would havE likEd this compEtition morE if you hadn’t had such an Ego about it. Now that I’vE rEad your scathing rEpliEs to EvEryonE who has triEd and failEd to play this stupid gamE, I’m not likEly to play along. ScrEw this. I’ll writE as many E’s as I can.
I’vE EvEn capitalizEd as many as I could find. To makE your job easiEr.
How long can this carry on? It is so hard to avoid that common word which points to a particular thing – not “a” thing but “that particular” thing. Would that all of us could think as cautiously about all our words.
I find that this distraction is a bit of just plain fun.
I’d want to watch it’s product just following its run.
I start by adding nothing, and carry on by adding squat!
But don’t imform us that to do this you must truly think a lot!
Just tap along your input board and watch words coming out.
Stand tall, I say to you, stand up tall and proud!
You cannot allow a symbol to win agaist your will
And throw your post away, off with a giant, vulgar swill.
Pathologically avoiding utilization of individual symbols is symptomatic of a budding flirtation with schizoid thinking. No minor affliction, this can and usually will bring on a psychotic and/or sociopathic condition.
Victims of said condition may languish in a continual fog of torpid posting, failing to stay within social norms, and finally dying in obscurity.
Hmmm…I don’t think I can do this. Without utilization of this popular symbol, showing a paragraph is a difficult task. With this in mind, I think I will stop trying as I wish not to fail.
In my mind is a vision of a writing, many days ago it did pass this youth by. In it, not only did author shun our tricky glyph, but in doing so warily did posit his notion that a void was around him. This author did not point it out forthrightly, but circuitously, as if it did mystify him, too. In addition, as paragraphs did mount up, additional symbols did fall to his lipogrammatic ax, until practically all logic was out of it. Soon, word parts hung about only, as if waiting for a saviour a la Godot. Fascinating!
BTW, congratulations to many of our RP’s. Your labor, found in this locality, may touch infinity in its luminosity!