NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “It’s undeniably thrilling to find words for our strangest
feelings…Koenig casts light into lonely corners of human experience…An enchanting book. “ —The
Washington Post A truly original book in every sense of the word The Dictionary of Obscure
Sorrows poetically defines emotions that we all feel but don’t have the words to express—until
now. Have you ever wondered about the lives of each person you pass on the street realizing
that everyone is the main character in their own story each living a life as vivid and complex
as your own? That feeling has a name: “sonder.” Or maybe you’ve watched a thunderstorm roll in
and felt a primal hunger for disaster hoping it would shake up your life. That’s called
“lachesism.” Or you were looking through old photos and felt a pang of nostalgia for a time
you’ve never actually experienced. That’s “anemoia.” If you’ve never heard of these terms
before that’s because they didn’t exist until John Koenig set out to fill the gaps in our
language of emotion. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows “creates beautiful new words that we
need but do not yet have ” says John Green bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars. By
turns poignant relatable and mind-bending the definitions include whimsical etymologies
drawn from languages around the world interspersed with otherworldly collages and lyrical
essays that explore forgotten corners of the human condition—from “astrophe ” the longing to
explore beyond the planet Earth to “zenosyne ” the sense that time keeps getting faster.
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is for anyone who enjoys a shift in perspective pondering
the ineffable feelings that make up our lives. With a gorgeous package and beautiful
illustrations throughout this is the perfect gift for creatives word nerds and human beings
everywhere.
