Jewish
Wry
John Pollack: "Yiddish, like English, is
rich in homophones that make for easy
punning."
Ann Arbor
native and
championship
punster John
Pollack writes
about wordplay.
mon to every major language family, not
always humorous but defined by multi-
plicity of meaning."
Pollack, who graduated from Huron
Ann Arbor
High School and earned a degree
in American studies from Stanford
ohn Pollack always has shown
University, worked in the political cam-
an ability to devise puns, but
paigns of his mother, Lana Pollack, for-
he didn't anticipate that the
mer state senator, and became a speech-
skill would bring him a choice job.
writer for David Bonior,
After becoming
former Democratic whip.
speechwriter at the
"Jews played an impor-
Clinton White House,
tant role in the history of
Pollack learned that the
The Pun Also Rises
puns',' he says. "Textual
one thing circled on his
analysis lies at the heart of
resume by the former
Jewish study, and the Old
president had to do
"gat
■ soi
Testament, in the original
with winning a punning
Hebrew, is full of puns.
contest.
HOW riut HLIMIILE PUN
"The Book of Job, for
"I had been up against
gEVOLUTIONIXP.0 LANOVAGR.
CHANCED HISTORY.
example, has more than 50
a more experienced
and
WORDPLAY Mara
Than SOME ANTICS
examples of Janus Parallels,
speechwriter from
in which each sentence has
the Pentagon',' recalls
jOHN
POLO
ACK
to make sense, refer to the
Pollack, 45, author of The
sentence before and hint at
Pun Also Rises: How the
the
sentence
to
follow."
Humble Pun Revolutionized Language,
The
pun-titled
chapter "Jewish Wry"
Changed History and Made Word Play
describes
the
pun
in ethnic use.
More Than Some Antics (Gotham Books;
Pollack,
soon
to
be honored as the
$22.50).
Punster
of
the
Year
by the International
"I later found out from a colleague that
Save the Pun Foundation, says that puns
in addition to Clinton's appreciation of
puns, he wanted someone who could help are being used in communications of the
revolutionaries in the Middle East and
keep the writing light, and they decided a
those struggling for freedom throughout
punster would be a good addition."
the world.
Pollack, raised in Ann Arbor, traces
"Chinese bloggers have used puns to
his language ability to his first sentence
evade censorship',' he says. "If censors
("Bears go barefoot") and describes his
advancement from there in the new book. say people can't say (x: then bloggers use
puns to say 'x' with different words."
Most of the text, however, traces the his-
Pollack, hoping to do book presenta-
tory of the pun and its role in serious
tions at JCCs and synagogues around the
communication.
country, does not memorize puns.
An excerpt is posted at
"Puns, for me, are best when spontane-
www.thepunalsorises.com .
ous and in context," he says. IJ
"I wrote a book that interested me,
and I thought that if I was interested,
there had to be other people who would
be interesteC says the author, who has
John Pollack appears 7
worked as a political aide, journalist and
p.m. Friday, April 29, in Ann
business communications adviser.
Arbor at Nicola's Books, 2513
"I think this book will appeal to every-
Jackson Ave., in the Westgate
one who loves language and has an inter-
Shopping Center. (734-662-
est in the way we communicate. What's
0600; nicolasbooks.com .
interesting about the pun is that it's corn-
Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer
j
••,,k
-
alsTAL aloe
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