A writer fills a notebook with exercises to improve his writing believing that this will lead to improvements in his character. His determination and commitment despite interruptions, distractions, highly inventive procrastination and worries about his mental health make this book extremely relatable in our distraction-filled age. What appears to be merely a functional exercise transforms into reflections and anecdotes about life, coexistence, writing, sense and the senselessness of existence.

Written with Kafkaesque lucidity, Empty Words reflects 'the lost spirit' of our time.

Mario Levrero was born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1940 and died there in 2004. In his lifetime he wrote 12 novels and several short story collections and it was not long before he gained cult status amongst readers in Uruguay and Argentina, despite keeping a low profile. He has inspired Latin American writers such as Rodolfo Fogwill, César Aira and Alejandro Zambra. In 2000 he was awarded the Guggenheim grant that allowed him to complete work on La novela luminosa (published posthumously).