Sol Luckman's Blog - Posts Tagged "comedy"

Sol Luckman



Of all the anthologized American literature I devoured in my high school English classes, none stuck in my mind quite like, or quite as long as, Ambrose Bierce’s wickedly satirical masterpiece, THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY.



Putting aside any pretense to conformity or prudishness on my part, I’m the first to admit this deliciously warped glossary—originally titled THE CYNIC’S WORD BOOK when it appeared in 1906—appealed primarily to the little devil in my wayward teenage self.

A master wordsmith in the comical vein of his good buddy Mark Twain (whom he uncannily resembled and to whom he is often compared), Bierce indelibly defined love as “a temporary insanity curable by marriage,” litigation as “a machine which you go into as a pig and come out of as a sausage,” patience as “a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue,” and an egotist as “a person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.”

If you don’t find these definitions hilarious, or at least amusing, I advise you to stop reading now and go rustle up a sense of humor before it’s too late.

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Sol Luckman

The first reviews of my politically incorrect foray into satire, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY, have come in—and they’re positively glowing!



In this knee-slapping dictionary for coming to terms with modern culture (or lack thereof), politics (so-called) and life (such as it is), I endeavor to reinvigorate satire to prove that—though we might not be able to change the world—we can at least have a good laugh at it.

Then again, maybe laughter can transform the world!



Taking a page from Ambrose Bierce’s scathing satirical masterpiece, THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY updates the genre to include blistering contemporary references and no small sampling of risqué humor to make adults giggle like mischievous teens.

Early Reviews of THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY

Here are my first three reviews …

“Much of society has lost its sense of humor for fear of melting the heart of the next snowflake down the road. I say, turn up the heat. It is much needed … THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY does this with wit and charm worthy of notice.” Andrew L. Foss

“THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY is a sardonic antidote to the trite and asinine slogans and catchphrases–the basic language–of Big Brother’s thought-control system. On one level, it’s light and witty comic relief, and beyond the playful satire, it is scathingly accurate! If you’re in need of some conscious, fun, and thought-provoking wordplay then you might start with THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY. Warning: reader may experience symptoms of higher consciousness, greater clarity, and general merriment.” Brendan D. Murphy

“I’ve never had so many belly laughs in my entire life. [This book] is absolutely witty, ‘spot on’ and I LOVE IT … THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY (Devilish as it may be) adds a quality of ‘lightness’ in bringing about such laughter. I do sincerely feel we may each gain by experiencing more and more laughs in meeting the existing chaos.” Doris Moreau

Sample Definitions from THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY

antidepressant: (n.) any of various energetic techniques for warding off parasitic friends, colleagues, and family members.

bathroom: (n.) where Americans go to argue about gender while the country goes down the toilet.

census: (n.) being counted so we can be discounted.

Dowist: (n.) blind believer in the stock market.

fanny-pack: (v.) to put on a few extra pounds during the holiday season.

global warming: (n.) result of excessive hot-air emissions by climate scientists.

hospital: (n.) where the healthy go to get misdiagnosed and the sick go to get mistreated.

Free Excerpt of THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY

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Laugh anyway!

Copyright © Sol Luckman. All Rights Reserved.

Sol Luckman is a pioneering ink painter whose work has been featured on mainstream book covers and award-winning author whose books include the international bestselling CONSCIOUS HEALING and its bestselling sequel, POTENTIATE YOUR DNA. His visionary novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, winner of the 2015 National Indie Excellence Award for New Age Fiction, is the coming-of-age tale of one extraordinary boy’s awakening to the world-changing reality of his dreams. Sol’s latest book, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY: A SPIRITED GLOSSARY FOR THE LITTLE DEVIL IN YOU, reinvigorates satire to prove that—though we might not be able to change the world—we can at least have a good laugh at it. Then again, maybe laughter can transform the world! Learn more about Sol’s art and writing at www.CrowRising.com.

Sol Luckman

Were you aware that a fetish (n.) is anything, such as the stock market, falsely believed by primitive peoples to possess divine, magical or supernatural qualities?

Did you know that disclosure (n.) is when they finally tell us everything and nothing changes?

THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY, winner of the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award for Humor, defines these terms this way—so they must be true!

Here’s another deliciously veracious definition from this Spirited Glossary for the Little Devil in You boasting over 500 laugh-out-loud entries spanning 160 pages …

waffle: (n.) breakfast of politicians.

And several more …

antidepressant: (n.) any of various energetic techniques for warding off parasitic friends, colleagues, and family members.

bathroom: (n.) where Americans go to argue about gender while the country goes down the toilet.

census: (n.) being counted so we can be discounted.

Dowist: (n.) blind believer in the stock market.

fanny-pack: (v.) to put on a few extra pounds during the holiday season.

global warming: (n.) result of excessive hot-air emissions by climate scientists.

hospital: (n.) where the healthy go to get misdiagnosed and the sick go to get mistreated.

Read more at ...

https://snooze2awaken.wordpress.com/2...

Sol Luckman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sol Luckman
Email: snoozereviews@fastmail.fm
Website: www.CrowRising.com

Award-winning author receives another major recognition, this time for Humor in the 9th Annual 2018 International Book Awards!



The 9th Annual 2018 International Book Awards, sponsored by the American Book Fest, recognized Sol Luckman’s diabolically lighthearted book of satire, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY: A SPIRITED GLOSSARY FOR THE LITTLE DEVIL IN YOU, as an award-winning Finalist in the category of Humor in this year’s competition.

The IBA is a distinguished international book award competition based in Los Angeles and Phoenix. This year’s competition was open to titles published from 2016-18 and drew over 2,000 applicants vying for recognition in approximately 90 categories.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest, commented that this year’s contest attracted entries from publishers and authors around the world.

Keen remarked of the awards, “The 2018 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the world. With a full publicity and marketing campaign promoting the results of IBA, this year’s winners and finalists will gain additional media coverage for the summer season.”

Keen added, “IBA’s success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.”

Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Disney Hyperion, TarcherPerigee, Atria Books, Bear & Co./Inner Traditions, New American Library and Hachette Book Group are just some of the hundreds of national and international publishing houses that entered books in this year’s competition.

Already established as the Winner in the Humor category of the prestigious 11th Annual 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY is a satirical lexicon for coming to terms with modern culture (or lack thereof), politics (so-called), and life (such as it is).

In its five-star review of this knee-slapping tour de force, Readers’ Favorite had this high praise: “Irreverent in its honesty and take-no-prisoners approach, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY: A SPIRITED GLOSSARY FOR THE LITTLE DEVIL IN YOU is an honest appraisal of words in terms of today’s sensibilities. Sol Luckman has picked up where writers like Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce left off over a century ago, identifying new associations for words and phrases to match what they really represent today […] They say many a true word is spoken in jest, and perhaps Luckman’s humor is a well-timed wake-up call to be heeded while we still have time to ask important questions.”

Taking a page from Ambrose Bierce’s satirical masterpiece, THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY reinvigorates satire to prove that—though we might not be able to change the world—we can at least have a good laugh at it. Then again, maybe laughter can transform the world!

Review copies and interviews are available upon request. Read an online excerpt here. Contact Sol Luckman here.



Previously, Sol Luckman’s critically acclaimed spiritual adventure novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, won the 9th Annual 2015 National Indie Excellence Award for New Age Fiction. Luckman is also known for his bestselling nonfiction books, CONSCIOUS HEALING and POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, which explore the role of consciousness and DNA in personal healing and transformation.

Sol Luckman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sol Luckman
Email: snoozereviews@fastmail.fm
Website: www.CrowRising.com

Multi-award-winning author receives another major recognition, this time for Humor in the 15th Annual 2018 Best Book Awards.



The Best Book Awards, sponsored by the American Book Fest, selected Sol Luckman’s irreverently hilarious book of satire for the awake and awakening crowd, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY: A SPIRITED GLOSSARY FOR THE LITTLE DEVIL IN YOU, as an award-winning Finalist in the Humor category in this year’s contest.

The competition was open to titles published from 2016-18 and drew over 2,000 entries vying for recognition across numerous categories.

Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of American Book Fest, commented that this year’s contest attracted “a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array” of independent as well as mainstream publishers.

Keen added, “Our success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.”

St. Martin’s Press, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hay House, Palgrave Macmillan and New American Library are just some of the hundreds of publishers that entered books in this year’s competition.

Already established as the Winner in the Humor category of the prestigious 11th Annual 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards and a Finalist for Humor in the 2018 International Book Awards, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY is a comical lexicon for coming to terms with modern culture (or lack thereof), politics (so-called), and life (such as it is).

In its five-star review of this knee-slapping “tour de farce,” Readers’ Favorite had this high praise: “Irreverent in its honesty and take-no-prisoners approach, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY: A SPIRITED GLOSSARY FOR THE LITTLE DEVIL IN YOU is an honest appraisal of words in terms of today’s sensibilities. Sol Luckman has picked up where writers like Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce left off over a century ago, identifying new associations for words and phrases to match what they really represent today […] They say many a true word is spoken in jest, and perhaps Luckman’s humor is a well-timed wake-up call to be heeded while we still have time to ask important questions.”

Taking a page from Ambrose Bierce’s satirical masterpiece, THE DEVIL’S DICTIONARY, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY reinvigorates satire to prove that—though we might not be able to change the world—we can at least have a good laugh at it. Then again, maybe laughter can transform the world!

Interviews are available upon request. Read an online excerpt here. For a limited time access your free copy here. Contact Sol Luckman here.



Previously, Sol Luckman’s critically acclaimed spiritual adventure novel, SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, won the 9th Annual 2015 National Indie Excellence Award for New Age Fiction. Luckman is also known for his bestselling nonfiction books, CONSCIOUS HEALING and POTENTIATE YOUR DNA, which explore the role of consciousness and DNA in personal healing and transformation.