The new hyperbole
William Safire has a funny piece on the International Herald Tribune site on the unique lexicography of book blurbs. Safire points out that in the “throbbing universe of book promotion … we have a language that treats lesser-known authors like stars shooting toward the firmament of literary fame,” then provides readers with a handy guide to decoding blurbspeak: “Acclaimed, in this fulsome lingo of book ads and catalogs, now means merely ‘the author received at least one good review.’ Widely acclaimed means ‘two or more, plus a cable TV plug.’ Critically acclaimed means ‘it was decently reviewed in a specialized publication but didn’t sell.’” (Thanks to goodreports.net for the link.)
Related links:
Read William Safire’s piece on blurbspeak
