
For many years, James Joyce’s novel Ulysses held the record for the longest sentence in the English language. The 4,391-word monstrosity contained in Molly Bloom’s soliloquy seemed destined to hold the record for the foreseeable future.
In 2001, that record was shattered. The Rotters’ Club by Jonathan Coe now holds the dubious honor of containing the longest printed English language sentence. The specimen is 13,955 words long and fills 33 pages.
It was inspired by the Czech novel Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age, which consists entirely of one sentence that runs for 96 pages.
Categories: Accomplishments and Records, Extremes, Languages, Literature
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