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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28294.A_Void?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="A Void (Verba Mundi)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167945737m/28294.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28294.A_Void?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">A Void</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15923.Georges_Perec">Georges Perec</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6908543?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 3 of 5 stars I can't choose multiple dates, so instead I'll say here that I tried reading this book in '95, '97, '01, and again in '03. It kills me. Every time. The insomnia that has plagued me my whole life comes from the way I obsessively think about words and combinations of words. This is what goes through my head when I'm thinking of nothing else. Then this guy Gilbert Adair goes and translates a French novel written by Georges Perec in 1969, and I obsess over it. I start reading, and I can't get over how the original was written in French without using any words that contain the letter 'e'. But then I obsess over how the translator could've retained the original intent and still used only words that don't contain the letter 'e'. It's flat-out mind-boggling.
 
 I can't help wanting to read it because writing with restrictions fascinates me. OuLiPo literature is some crazy stuff, especially when it doesn't come off as novelty. I'd say that if this novel barely made sense and used no words with the letter 'e', it could be considered novelty. But no, he had to go and create a well-written novel and not use words with 'e'. Bastard.
 
 I forgot to add that this book drives me freaking insane. That's why I've tried reading it so many times.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/427693?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Jeff's review
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I can't choose multiple dates, so instead I'll say here that I tried reading this book in '95, '97, '01, and again in '03. It kills me. Every time. The insomnia that has plagued me my whole life comes from the way I obsessively think about words and combinations of words. This is what goes through my head when I'm thinking of nothing else. Then this guy Gilbert Adair goes and translates a French novel written by Georges Perec in 1969, and I obsess over it. I start reading, and I can't get over how the original was written in French without using any words that contain the letter 'e'. But then I obsess over how the translator could've retained the original intent and still used only words that don't contain the letter 'e'. It's flat-out mind-boggling.

I can't help wanting to read it because writing with restrictions fascinates me. OuLiPo literature is some crazy stuff, especially when it doesn't come off as novelty. I'd say that if this novel barely made sense and used ...more

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