The Lover's Dictionary
Encyclopedia
The Lover's Dictionary is a 2011
novel by the American author David Levithan
. It is his first novel for adults. This modern love story is told entirely through dictionary entries.
tradition in which the author writes a story for a group of family members and friends. While trying to come up with an idea for a new Valentine's Day story, the author noticed a book called Words You Need to Know sitting on his desk and became inspired. "Could I tell the story of a relationship by just randomly picking words in alphabetical order from this book and then writing entries as if it were a dictionary?" Levithan wondered. He chose the words in alphabetical order and let the story and characters reveal themselves as he wrote the dictionary entries.
2011 in literature
The year 2011 will involve some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tomas Tranströmer wins the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature.*Jennifer Egan wins the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel A Visit From the Goon Squad.-Literature:*T.C...
novel by the American author David Levithan
David Levithan
David Levithan is an American young-adult fiction editor and award-winning author. His first book, Boy Meets Boy, was published in 2003...
. It is his first novel for adults. This modern love story is told entirely through dictionary entries.
Plot
A nameless narrator tells the story of a relationship through dictionary entries. These short entries provide insight into the ups and downs of their romantic relationship, revealing the couple's problems with alcoholism and infidelity. The story does not unfold in chronological order; instead, it is arranged alphabetically by dictionary entries which give glimpses into the joys and struggles the characters face over the course of their relationship.Major themes
The Lover's Dictionary is "a story about love, in all its messy complicated reality," says Levithan.Development history
The idea for the book was inspired by a Valentine's DayValentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
tradition in which the author writes a story for a group of family members and friends. While trying to come up with an idea for a new Valentine's Day story, the author noticed a book called Words You Need to Know sitting on his desk and became inspired. "Could I tell the story of a relationship by just randomly picking words in alphabetical order from this book and then writing entries as if it were a dictionary?" Levithan wondered. He chose the words in alphabetical order and let the story and characters reveal themselves as he wrote the dictionary entries.
Publication history
- 2011, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Farrar,Straus and Giroux, ISBN 978-0374193683, 4 January 2011, hardcover.
Reception
Reviews:- 'The Lover's Dictionary': Definitions for Heartbreak, NPR, 11 January 2011.
- The Lover's Dictionary, Publishers WeeklyPublishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, 11 January 2011. - The Lover's Dictionary: A Novel by David Levithan – review, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 13 February 2011. - The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan, Dictionary Society of North AmericaDictionary society of north americaThe Dictionary Society of North America was founded in 1975 to encourage scholarly and professional activities that have to do with dictionaries and lexicography...
, 14 February 2011.
External links
- David Levithan website
- @loversdiction, TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...