A word about Lipograms and Oulipo
Art in all its many forms springs from inspiration and originality, but also from constraint. And constraint is what this book is all about: though in approach it is not particularly original.
This story is what is known as a lipogram (a composition in which you constantly avoid using words containing a particular sign of our abc).
My introduction into this absurd lipogrammatical world was a random find, many moons ago in a Paris bookshop, of that highly original magnum opus—La Disparition. From start to finish this most amusing work shuns abc’s fifth symbol (that small partially round animal with a broad grin) throughout. No such sign is found so constantly in vocabulary in many idioms around our world. Pull out any book in that Gallic idiom and count just how many occasions you find it in print.
By and by, I also found out about a book (from way back) with a similar limitation using my own British vocabulary—Gadsby—and also A Void, a translation by G. Adair of La Disparition. From all this scrutiny, I got wind of a multinational artistic organisation known as Oulipo, which fashions and champions such distinct forms of communication. (For full information, look it up on Wiki or visit Oulipo on www!)
As this taboo symbol is not found in my full ID as shown in my passport, it did cross my mind that this was a substantial prompt to look into writing my own “Oulipo” book in my own idiom following this taxing constraint—and making Oulipo part of its plot. A daunting task but not as arduous, I think, as a composition in Balzac’s or Proust’s or Camus’ patois. My plan was to avoid (sorry for that pun!) any contact with any lipogrammatical works in my idiom that you can buy today until my own absurd story had got to its conclusion—and into print. It has—and I trust that you find it amusing to spot its constant substitution of synonyms.
You may ask why I allow my vocabulary in this opus to contain groups of initials (such as AWOL, HQ, ID, TV and so forth) which stand for word groups that, in full, actually contain our rascal. I do so only if pronouncing such initials is customary.
To that grand Oulipopulation in Paris and throughout our world, my gracious salutations!