Monochrome, Perfect-bound Paperback, 210 x 148mm, 264pp

Featuring illustrations by bill bissett.

Lip is an epic volume of limit-case multilingual lipograms, presented alongside their literal English translations.

“ the whol world something falling like rain... the sound uv wailing..”

lip is a minimalist multi lingual adventur entr a vowell n its numbrless touches xploor n xplode in its uses n sylabik song beings n lip is a brillyant book uv inkreesing resonans minimalist sound elements fire constonants watr sung agen n agen chanting sylabul sounds uv our marriage 2 watr n each other th dedikaysyun 2 watr fire memoreez uv erlee human timez thru th developing uv phrases sounds 4 owning we evolv th tragedeez n th comforts alwayze changing lip is a brillyant yuneek n magik book is th vizual sound journee 2 we ar n speeks uv th love we need 2 get ther climb on n c its a journee that will grow deepr n deepr inside yu lip is a journee yu will want 2 take

- bill bissett

Lip is an enchantment that collects linguistic marvels into its mouthful of curiosities. These poems are an amalgam of strange, seemingly impossible oddities artfully assembled into an improbable translinguistic kiss. But Franco Cortese is a force, moves across language borders like a letteral hurricane, ripping the shells from the world’s tongues to expose compressed pearls of vowels, salty snarls of consonents. These oysterly rarities are collaged into beautiful illusions—thus, thin strings of poems (from poiein, the thing made, the artful pile). Lip is filled with such remarkable elements remade as if an Atomic Engineer had managed to unfold and release the secret, powerful frission in the smallest particles of language.

- Gregory Betts

Lip is a trip unlike anything you have ever taken. Franco Cortese has written a virtuosic exploration into the molecular foundations of language, revealing new soundscapes and assemblages through rigorous constraint and inventive recombination. This is startling and original work by an author of exceptional talent.

- Adam Dickinson