Thursday, March 30, 2006

Blook?


small ball

The book has always been a hungry form, feeding off other literacies. Think of the way the letter has been used as a vehicle for developing narrative and viewpoint, the diary and the inventory (“Robinson Crusoe” for example) and now, predictably enough, the blog. Books on blogs are growing in popularity - as are blogs on books (subtle distinction, I know) - but all part of the kaleidoscopic world of genre-blending, hybridization and overlapping forms. OK then, why not coin a word such as “blook” and award a prize for the best – perhaps call it The Blooker Prize? And of course that’s what we have. So, three blokes will judge the Blookers - the world's first literary prize devoted to "blooks" (books based on blogs or websites)...and good luck to them, too!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loved the concept of books being hungry, greedy even, gobbling up ideas and once they are devoured laying claim to owning them and defending themselves by copyright laws. Love the name blooks too. Are we in the process of crating one- or rather are you in this process?

Guy Merchant said...

Thank you for your comments, although I can't claim any originality for the food metaphor, since we often talk about having an 'appetite for fiction', 'devouring books' and even 'consuming narratives'. We know that reading and writing reciprocate, so I reckon texts feed too; just as readers browse. Ever felt like a book is eating you?

As far as the 'blook' concept goes - yes, I agree it's a fascinating word, but I don't like the idea that blog texts necessarily have to be subordinated to print texts - get eaten up as it were. And as for this text - blog, blook, blunder, well we're all in together! It's mine it's yours and, of course, it does its own thing. A different thing to a book, which is why I like it!!