A story about Bliss
Blissymbolics are the invention of a man named Charles K. Bliss. Born with the name Karl Blitz in the Ukraine, he arrived in England in 1939 coincidentally along with the Blitz. Many people remarked how unfortunate his surname was convincing him to rename himself ‘Bliss’. This was a much better fit for his personality. He was described by people who knew him as a ‘loveable character’ and from a few audio recordings, you can hear the cheer and joy he emits. He and his wife made a trip to Shanghai, where he was exposed to Chinese writing for the first time. He saw that the symbol for ‘man’, a simple stick figure, actually translated to meaning ‘man’. This had a profound effect on him. He had an established mistrust for language going back to his early childhood and also later in life. He experienced the rise of Hitler and noted […]