Dictionary of the Undoing, John Freeman
Dictionary of the Undoing, John Freeman
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Dictionary of the Undoing

Author: John Freeman

Narrator: Jean Ann Douglass, John Freeman

Unabridged: 4 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/03/2019


Synopsis

This program is read by the author.

For John Freeman—literary critic, essayist, editor, poet, “one of the preeminent book people of our time” (Dave Eggers)—it is the rare moment when words are not enough. But in the wake of the election of 2016, words felt useless, even indulgent. Action was the only reasonable response. He took to the streets in protest, and the sense of community and collective conviction felt right. But the assaults continued—on citizens’ rights and long-held compacts, on the core principles of our culture and civilization, and on our language itself. Words seemed to be losing the meanings they once had and Freeman was compelled to return to their defense. The result is his Dictionary of the Undoing.

From A to Z, “Agitate” to “Zygote,” Freeman assembled the words that felt most essential, most potent, and began to build a case for their renewed power and authority, each word building on the last. The message that emerged was not to retreat behind books, but to emphatically engage in the public sphere, to redefine what it means to be a literary citizen.

With an afterword by Valeria Luiselli, Dictionary of the Undoing is a necessary, resounding cri de coeur in defense of language, meaning, and our ability to imagine, describe, and build a better world.

About John Freeman

John Freeman is the editor of Freeman's, a literary annual of new writing. His books include How to Read a Novelist and The Tyranny of E-mail, as well as Tales of Two Americas, an anthology of new writing about inequality in the U.S. today. Maps, his debut collection of poems, was published in 2017. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, andThe New York Times. The former editor of Granta and one-time president of the National Book Critics Circle, he is currently Artist-in-Residence at New York University.

About Jean Ann Douglass

Jean Ann Douglass is a playwright, performer, and artist living in Brooklyn, NY. She co-created The Truck Project and Human Head Performance Group with her partner, Eric John Meyer. Jean Ann received an MFA in Performance and Interactive Media Arts from Brooklyn College.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Francisco on June 14, 2022

A book which is a rollercoaster reader at the same time agreeing with much of it while being deeply annoyed by other parts of it, John Freeman's manifest in the shape of a dictionary where each chapter stands for a word in the alphabet has all the advantages and disadvantages of leftist liberal Amer......more

Goodreads review by Veev on December 26, 2023

CORP= Nu primim decât unul singur. Tocmai de aceea are o asemenea forță. Fie ca e mare sau mic, pistruiat sau colorat de soare, negru, cafeniu sau alb, într-o lume a nesfârșirii, propriul corp îți e sfârșitul. E locul în care tu devii eu. Executam zilnic aceasta translație în interiorul nostru, măsu......more

Goodreads review by Jan on January 08, 2020

Freeman writes about the present political and social situation in the US from A, B, and C (apathy and body and citizen) all the way to Z (zygote). Great ideas here, but I wanted specifics beyond the metaphors. It had its glory moments, but H (hope) was decidedly not hopeful, and the first actual co......more

Goodreads review by Jovi on December 02, 2020

Dincolo de a fi un dicționar, de o carte de eseuri, ”Dicționarul refacerii” este o carte-manifest, prin care renumitul scriitor și critic literar încearcă să atragă atenția asupra felului în care autoritățile gestionează lumea contemporană. Este scrisă la ”adăpostul” oferit de mișcările #metoo și Bl......more

Goodreads review by Patrícia on July 21, 2022

Amazing! Everybody should read it. I am still processing. I think it will stay with me all my life.......more


Quotes

“[John Freeman] offers an alphabet of hope and action in this spare, eloquent meditation . . . The representative words, including resonant headings such as citizen, justice, and rage, introduce extended definitions that are sobering, probing, and precise . . . A protest, a poem, and a plea, Freeman’s utterly original manifesto is a pocket manual for informed political dissent and a must-read for all thinking citizens.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Poet and editor, John Freeman, has created a work of both artistry and activism in Dictionary of the Undoing, a lexicon of what should matter from A to Z—a complex and nuanced rebirthing of words that have been worn away by the strife and noise of this era." —WALTER MOSLEY

“All [of John Freeman’s] projects feel like an invitation to enter into a polyphonic, multi-voiced conversation with other minds. Dictionary of the Undoing is no different. It is a book that makes you think, then rethink. It invites you to engage with it, to refute it, to contribute to it.” —VALERIA LUISELLI

“How to be good in bad times? How to speak truth? Why read? Why write? Why bother? It is a symptom of our ongoing catastrophe that such questions must be asked, but we’re lucky that John Freeman is out there looking for some answers. Language is Freeman’s primary concern, and in Dictionary of the Undoing he sets out to reclaim it and restore what was damaged by an onslaught of evil and idiocy. One day you might be asked what you were reading in 2019, when everything seemed to be coming apart, and you’re going to want to say John Freeman’s Dictionary of the Undoing.” —ALEKSANDAR HEMON