Dictionaries are the most overlooked books on any shelf. Thanks to online search engines, most people no longer even own a physical dictionary. But these books are extremely valuable — not just because they’re reference lists. The ability to name and identify the world around us, according to writer and artist John Koenig, is “empowering.” Koenig is the author of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a book that features over 100 invented words and corresponding definitions for emotional concepts that previously never had names. Based in real etymology and dripping with feeling, this book is necessary for every poet’s personal library.
Read on for a closer look into John Koenig’s creative process and the history behind his phenomenal debut book.
A Deep Love for Language
John Koenig was fascinated with words long before The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows existed. Though he is an American writer, Koenig was raised in Switzerland and attended an international school that exposed him to dozens of different languages. An intriguing aspect of linguistics is how it is practically impossible to translate directly from one language to another. Koenig noticed this and remarks about it in his book:
That’s how the idea for this book was born, in that jolt of recognition you feel when learning certain words for emotions, especially in languages other than English: hygge, saudade, duende, ubuntu, schadenfreude. Some of these terms might well be untranslatable, but they still have the power to make the inside of your head feel a little more familiar, at least for a moment or two.
Koenig, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (2021)
It’s the strive for familiarity that binds together Koenig’s project. He seeks to coin words for emotions that have never been named, despite being experienced in nearly every human life. The result is something truly stupendous. But this labor of love took years of dedication — twelve to be exact — and the project took on many forms throughout this time.
How to Make a Dictionary
The inspiration for this project first came to John Koenig in 2006 when he was struggling to write poetry in college. He felt as though words continued to fail him in his pursuit of emotional expression. Koenig wished there was a dictionary of emotions somewhere in the library that could guide him on his path, complete with detailed etymology, conjugation, and illustrated sadness. This idea remained in his mind long after graduation, and eventually, he answered its call.
The first iteration of The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows appeared in 2009 when John Koenig created a Tumblr blog of the same name. Here, he began posting original words and definitions for unnamed “obscure sorrows.” In an early Q&A session with his readers, Koenig was asked why he named his dictionary Obscure Sorrows when some of the words described joyous emotions. He responded by saying that he personally defines sorrow as “an unspoken intensity of feeling.” The dictionary project, at its core, strives to name concepts across the emotional spectrum; it matters less whether or not the concept is sad per se and more about the intensity and shared recognition of the feeling.
In 2014, John Koenig created a YouTube channel and began adapting some of his words into beautifully poetic videos. Each video is unique in its execution to best complement the word it honors. Koenig also provides narration; the audio for each video is an expanded prose-like definition of the word. The first word he created and uploaded a video for is sonder, defined as “the realization that everyone has a story.” This is the most famous word Koenig ever coined, and to date, it possesses the highest view count of any of his videos — over a million.
After twelve years of hard work, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows was finally published in 2021. It is everything that John Koenig originally envisioned when he was in college — and more. The book mixes his definitions with a few select extended prose essays; each word is accompanied by its etymology and pronunciation key. Rather than grouping his words alphabetically like a traditional dictionary, Koenig chose to separate them into six themed chapters. Readers are encouraged to digest the words within their broad emotional contexts instead of reading them in a cold and detached manner.
Is It Poetry?
I read the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.
Wright, I Have a Pony (1985)
This quote from comedian Steven Wright is the first thing to appear in The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. This project’s inception was always bound in poetry; John Koenig first conceived of the idea in the absence of the proper language for his poems. He has described the creation of his book as a “collage-like process” because of the way he dissects and reassembles parts of words from multiple languages. Poetry has always been about the manipulation of language. What is more poetic than naming and describing the hidden emotions that plague us every day?
Words have power. And thanks to John Koenig’s brilliant book, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, we can now fill the empty gaps in our language. If you enjoyed this intriguing history, be sure to check out Koenig’s YouTube channel and order his book on Bookshop and Amazon.
Click here to enjoy some beautiful poetry written by the Bookstr team.
Find Koenig’s book and other fabulous works of art on our Poetry bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
