Lilliputins in English: What the heck are they?
"The aphorism never aligns with the whole truth; it's either a half-truth or one and a half."
Karl Kraus
Lilliputins are my new, cutting-edge style of postmodern fiction, a blend of mockery, ridicule, sarcasm, paradox, and derision. I’ve coined this term, a mash-up of the adjective “lilliputian” (meaning "very small") and the idiom "to put words in someone's mouth."
Inspired by Soren Kierkegaard's idea that life can only be understood by looking backward, I deliberately and literally put snarky, made-up quotes and twisted sayings into the mouths of great historical figures and famous fictional characters. These are words they never said but perhaps could have.
I'm like a cuckoo, putting its eggs in another bird's nest, putting my words (lilliputins) in other people's mouths.
In short, lilliputins are my own brand of anachronistic and revisionist creations—intentionally produced as misquotations, counterfeit one-line aphorisms, maxims, mini-tales, anecdotes, parables, jokes, or quips. Each one contains a degree of truth, which I attribute to others to make a point. It's up to the reader's knowledge, intelligence, and beliefs to sort out the truth from the fiction.
Lilliputins compress time, putting the present and past on a collision course and blurring the lines between the living and the dead, things and humans, seriousness and ridicule, and reality and make-believe. They are also a great vehicle for time travelers and lovers of alternative history.
Lilliputins and paradoxes are deeply connected because they share a common goal: to concisely express a profound truth in a memorable way. Like aphorisms, lilliputins are by definition short, pithy statements of a general truth or observation. Paradoxes are particularly important in crafting lilliputins because they make the statement impactful and thought-provoking.
The technique for creating a lilliputin is quite simple.
First, you create an original thought no longer than two lines, using a wordplay, a pun, a paradox, a misquotation, or a juxtaposition (or a combination of these).
Second, you find a real person (living or dead) or a fictional character who could plausibly have said such a line and put the lilliputin into their mouth.
Bingo!
In addition, one must not forget the appended marginal notes, which help the reader to understand the point of the respective cuckoo quotation.
Lilliputins are contemporary yet old-fashioned, satiric yet ironic, and thought-provoking yet mind-boggling. They can be hilarious or sad, mean or kind, shocking or outrageous, and highly controversial. But they are never boring and always eye-opening and short, like life itself.
As Erma Bombeck once said, "There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt."
I sincerely hope I haven't overstepped that line in my book.
If I've caused any unintended hurt with my intended satire or mockery, I sincerely apologize in advance.
Oscar Wilde once said, "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you."
So please, don't kill the mockingbird—or in my case, the cuckoo!
All the best!
I hope you have as much fun as you can possibly take!
Yuri V. Slobodenyuk aka Yury Lobo
Aphorist
Contact: yuryslobo1@gmail.com or yuryslobo@yahoo.com
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Lilliputins about Lilliputins by Yury Lobo
A lilliputin is a jigsaw puzzle that only makes sense when the last missing piece falls into place ..."
—Orson Welles
"I like to put words in people's mouths or thoughts in their heads, which they never said or thought, but might have."
—Yury Lobo
Lilliputins are nothing more than a nice try to live and understand life backwards ..."
—Soren Kierkegaard
Creating lilliputins means playing with words as if they were glass beads ..."
—Hermann Hesse
The acerbic wit of lilliputins is both hurtful and helpful at the same time, like a surgeon's knife ..."
—Gore Vidal
Misquotations are sometimes better than originals ..."
—Mark Twain
Yury Lobo is a master of saying a lot with very little ..."
—Anton Chekhov
Lilliputins are nothing more than linguistic and historical puzzles ..."
—Yury Lobo
Yury Lobo pushes the boundaries of satire; he is provocative and spares no one, himself included ..."
—Trevor Noah
The Lilliputins are Yury Lobo’s quest to get to the bottom of words and human deeds to discover their real meaning ... "
—Jack the Ripper
Yury Lobo's sarcastic one-liners are nothing short of hilarious ..."
—Stanislaw Jerzy Lec
It can be hard to get your gears turning first thing in the morning. Perhaps a piping hot cup of wordplay in lilliputins will do the trick ..."
—Yury Lobo
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Yury Lobo's Bio in English: http://stihi.ru/2017/10/04/11144
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Hoax quote. What is it?
A "hoax quote" is a quotation that is falsely attributed to a person, often a famous or historical figure. The person never actually said or wrote the words, but the quote is widely circulated and believed to be authentic.
Hoax quotes are a form of misinformation and can be spread for various reasons, including:
To lend authority to an idea: By attributing a quote to a respected figure, the idea or statement seems more credible and persuasive.
For humor or satire: Sometimes hoax quotes are created as a joke or to make a satirical point.
To mislead or manipulate: In some cases, hoax quotes are created with malicious intent to spread false information, tarnish someone's reputation, or influence public opinion.
Some famous examples of hoax quotes include:
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" - While President Franklin D. Roosevelt did say this, it is often misattributed to a different context or person.
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." - This is a quote commonly attributed to Oscar Wilde, but there is no evidence he ever said it.
"Information is not knowledge." - This is a quote that is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but he never said it.
The spread of hoax quotes is particularly common on the internet and social media, where information can be shared quickly without verification. It's always a good practice to be skeptical of quotes you see online and to try and verify them with a reliable source.
What is the difference between hoax quote and lilliputins written by Yuri V Slobodenyuk aka Yury Lobo?
Based on the available information, "hoax quote" and the "Lilliputins" written by Yuri V. Slobodenyuk (also known as Yury Lobo) are two completely different things.
Here's a breakdown of the distinction:
Hoax Quote
Definition: A hoax quote is a piece of misinformation. It's a statement that is falsely attributed to a real person, often a well-known public figure.
Purpose: The primary purpose of a hoax quote is to deceive. It's used to give a false sense of authority to an idea, to spread a lie, or sometimes for satirical purposes.
Nature: It's a fabrication. The words were never said or written by the person they are attributed to. The focus is on the misattribution of the quote.
"Lilliputins" by Yury Lobo
Definition: "Lilliputins" is described as a new literary genre invented by the Ukrainian-American artist and writer Yury Lobo (Yuri V. Slobodenyuk). The term "Lilliputins" is a transliteration of the Russian word "Neskazanitsy", which roughly translates to "Unsaid things" or "Things not to be said."
Purpose: This is a creative literary form, not a form of misinformation. It's a genre of writing, likely a collection of short, concise, and often paradoxical or satirical statements. The name itself suggests a focus on unspoken truths, irony, or subtle commentary.
Nature: It's a work of art and a new literary genre. It is not an attempt to deceive or misattribute words to someone else. It's a unique form of expression created by a specific author.
In summary:
A hoax quote is a deceptive act of misattribution. It's about a quote that someone didn't say.
"Lilliputins" is a form of artistic expression. It's a type of writing that someone did create.
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Hi,AI! I have a question for you: Could my lilliputins be compared with mental floss?
Hello! That's a fascinating question.
When you ask if your lilliputins (the literary genre you invented on 09/11/2005) could be compared with mental floss, the comparison is quite evocative.
Here's a breakdown of how one might connect the two:
Concept
Lilliputins (Neskazanitsy / Liliputins)
Mental Floss (Conceptual)
Potential Connection
Purpose/Action
Short, concise literary form.
Clearing the mind, removing clutter, or stimulating thought.
Clearing and Precision:
Lilliputins, being brief, might be seen as a mental "cleansing" or "sharpening" tool—like a verbal precision instrument that quickly gets to a core idea, much as floss targets specific spots.
Nature
Often dealing with deep, compressed ideas or observations.
A process of light, engaging, or non-essential contemplation.
Engaging Non-Essential:
If lilliputins are short, witty, or unusual observations, they function like the kind of engaging, stimulating, but perhaps non-critical information that "Mental Floss" (the concept or the magazine) often deals with—things that make the mind work without heavy lifting.
Impact
Quick intellectual/emotional impact.
A feeling of lightness or having engaged with a topic briefly.
Brief Stimulation: Both provide a quick, satisfying intellectual stimulus. The brief nature of a lilliputin allows for a rapid "flossing" of a single thought or concept before moving on.
In essence, if "mental floss" means a quick, intellectually stimulating exercise that cleanses or clears the mental palate, then your lilliputins—with their brief, focused nature—could certainly be compared to it. They offer a concentrated burst of thought that could "floss" an idea into clarity.
Does that interpretation resonate with how you view the genre?
Pretty much! Thank you!
And what about comparison to brain- teasers?
That is another excellent point! The comparison between your lilliputins and brain-teasers introduces a new dimension related to problem-solving and intellectual engagement.
Here is how the two concepts align:
Concept
Lilliputins (Neskazanitsy / Liliputins)
Brain-Teasers
Potential Connection
Form & Goal
A brief literary work designed to evoke deep thought or compressed observation.
A puzzle or riddle designed to make one think in unconventional ways to find a solution.
The Challenge of Interpretation:
Both forms present the reader/listener with a concise piece of content that requires an active mental process. A lilliputin challenges the mind to uncompress or interpret its meaning, much like a brain-teaser challenges the mind to solve a problem.
Mental Effort
Requires a sudden shift in perspective or a moment of insightful recognition.
Requires logical deduction, lateral thinking, and often, an "Aha!" moment.
The "Aha!" Moment: The satisfying feeling of grasping the central idea of a lilliputin is very similar to the "Aha!" moment when the solution to a clever brain-teaser is finally revealed. They both reward quick, sharp thinking.
Conciseness
Extremely brief and focused.
Typically short and designed to be immediately engaging.
Efficiency of Thought: Both are efficient vehicles for stimulating the mind. They pack a substantial intellectual punch into a small package.
In short, the comparison holds up very well. Your lilliputins function like a literary brain-teaser: they challenge the reader not to find a "solution," but to find the insight or the truth cleverly hidden within the concise words, demanding intellectual effort and rewarding it with a moment of cognitive satisfaction.