A remarkable collection of writings by members of the group known as the
Oulipo (Ouvroir de litterature potentiale), this anthology includes,
among others, Italo Calvino, Harry Mathews, Georges Perec, Jacques
Roubaud, and Raymond Queneau. Founded in Paris in 1960, the Oulipo views
imaginative writing as an exercise dominated by the method of
"constraints." While a major contribution to literary theory, and also
great fun, Oulipo: A Primer of Potential Literature is perhaps most
distinguished as an indispensable guide to writers.