The Dream Dictionary for the Modern Dreamer

by Tim Etchells

An indispensable guide for modern dreamers everywhere Tim Etchells’ Dream Dictionary for the Modern Dreamer is at once a mischievous glimpse into the contemporary subconscious and a playful, irreverent portrait of 21st-century life. The dictionary concentrates on those aspects of contemporary life and dreaming, which other dictionaries have neglected. Rather than concentrate on those archetypal features of human existence (chairs, tables, fire, love and falling), The Dream Dictionary is the first significant reference work devoted to explaining the particular, the transitory and the specifically contemporary as in may appear in the world of our dreams. What is the meaning of a dream in which one touches, without meaning to, the hand of a fellow traveler on an underground train? What does it mean to dream of a telethon, a modem, or the former Soviet Union? Or that someone you love dearly is trying to barcode-scan your eyes? The Dream Dictionary will answer all these questions and more.

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Tim Etchells is an English artist, writer, and educator whose work spans performance, fiction, visual art, installation, and critical writing. He is best known as the artistic director of Forced Entertainment, an experimental performance company he helped found in 1984. His practice explores language, presence, repetition, and the dynamics between audience and performer, often blurring boundaries between theatre, literature, and conceptual art. Etchells has published fiction including Endland Stories, The Dream Dictionary for the Modern Dreamer, and The Broken World, and has written widely on contemporary performance for publications and institutions. As a visual artist, he has created text-based installations, video pieces, and large-scale public artworks. He has taught internationally and holds a professorship in Performance and Writing at Lancaster University. Etchells has also collaborated with numerous artists and makers across disciplines, developing works for theatres, galleries, and public spaces. Recognized for his innovation and influence, he has received major awards and residencies and continues to shape contemporary performance and interdisciplinary artistic practice.

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to fun-town! Population: whoever is reading this book.

[Eleana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started with the best intro ever, got me feeling inspired, then went into the kosg weird shit ever. You don't need to read this really, but I would recommend it for a good laugh. If in doubt just remember
-it forebodes travel
-you will be giving birth (maybe to twins)
-you will become ill and die