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Interview [published April 2002]
Stefan Fatsis: Letter Better
Jonathan Kiefer discusses the torrid world of competitive Scrabble playing
with Word Freak author Stefan Fatsis
Sure, Stefan Fatsis is nice, but he’s also a freak. That
is, a passionate aficionado – and an unusual specimen.
Fatsis is a Scrabble expert. He has written a book about
the game, and can speak authoritatively on its mechanics,
history, and cultural significance. And he can play,
better than most people in the world. But – and this
is important – although his Scrabble skill is orders of
magnitude greater than yours or mine may ever be,
Fatsis is not likely to use the phrase “orders of magnitude,”
in conversation or in print, without quotation
marks. Nor to use words like “azido” and “oiticica” and
certainly not “vogie,” because he understands that such
words really aren’t usable, not even on standardized
tests. In Scrabble, however, they’re gold.
“You can argue that the process of getting good at
Scrabble is the most inclusive use of language,” the
clean-cut and bespectacled Fatsis said recently, enjoying
the down time between a Reno, Nevada Scrabble
tournament and a Berkeley, California bookstore appearance.
“You’re using words that don’t get used. I
love that!” Thus is Fatsis precisely the appropriate
narrator for Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius
BUY Stefan Fatsis books online from and
And Obsession In The World Of Competitive Scrabble
Players. He is also, of course, the main character.
“It is sort of like Plimpton,” he offered, meaning
George Plimpton, the journalist-cum-temporary,
tongue-in-cheek Detroit Lions quarterback. “Except I
got good.”
Do not think it was easy for Fatsis, normally a mildmannered
Wall Street Journal sportswriter, to become
a Scrabble expert, especially in a mere couple of years,
and especially while committed to writing a book about
trying to become a Scrabble expert in a mere couple of
years. He devotes many pages to self-flagellation for a
stubbornly intermediate ability.
“The hard part about it was wanting the narrative to
turn out a certain way,” he said. “It did add to the pressure.
I was fortunate that I was able to get good enough.
Maybe it would have turned out differently otherwise.”
After a moment, he added, “Or maybe I would have
kept playing until I made it.”
As you might deduce, Word Freak keeps its subtitle’s
promise, and the gravitational constant in Scrabble’s
universe is obsession. But, as Fatsis explains in
213
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