an
acronym for the literary group
Ouvroir
de Litterature Potentielle. translated as Workshop for
Potential Literature
founded in France on 24 November 1960 by a group of writers, mathematicians, and academics.
initially developed due to discussions over
Raymond Queneau's
100,000,000,000,000 Sonnets, and the possibilities of incorporating mathematical structures in literary works.
The official aim of Oulipo is 'to invent (or reinvent) restrictions of a formal nature and propose them to enthusiasts interested in composing literature.'
another definition: An
Oulipian author is
a rat who himself builds the maze from which he sets out to escape.
(some material quoted from
Oulipo Compendium ed. by Harry Mathews & Alastair Brotchie)