Best European languages for reading novels

[William Camden]

I first read it at the age of 12 or 13, in the first, somewhat bowdlerised English translation which came out in 1930. I was not a great reader of fiction but it just clicked. I remember putting it forward as my text in a speed-reading class and trying to get extra points for it being a "classic" because the publisher's blurb said it was one. The teacher didn't accept it even though it is one - an author who died in 1923 was not ancient enough to be a "classic", I suppose.

[asterion]

It was on my obligatory reading list at highschool. I really hated it after a few chapters and left it. I suppose it is one of the books I opened at the wrong age. Just as I had hated Shakespeare at 12 (I loved A.Dumas, J.Verne, A.Christie at that age) and absolutely loved some of his plays at 16.

I think the south-eastern european countries may be a treasure grove. I've read just one or two books from that area so far. I liked them (the obligatory reading list coincided with my tastes). But I haven't tried more. Clare's Croatian log is very inspirative and I think the whole penninsula's culture doesn't get the deserved attention. Those countries are a great example of what we were talking about with Jiwon (I hope I write it correctly this time). Bad PR. There are many people, with so much to draw from. Breathtaking nature, rich history, lots of pain and tragedy to deal with and teach about, surely lots of imagination too. Yet, authors from there not that common in bookstores abroad. The shelf of the balcan literature in my favourite bookshop in France is very small. Unlike the shelves belonging to the scandinavians. I need to dig more in this direction. And one day learn a language from that area. And visit, to know it much closer than from photoes or movies.

Anyone has experience with these literatures? What can be found there?

Danilo Kis was a much- appreciated European writer in his time. It is believed that he was a strong contender for the Nobel prize (Brodsky and Sontag were lobbying for him) but he died the night before it was decided. He called himself an " ethnographic rarity" as he was born in a Serbian town near the Hungarian border, to a father who was a Hungarian Jew, and a mother was a Serb from Montenegro, he spent the last decade of his life in France, and he wrote in Serbian. That conundrum of roots and identities is reflected in his books, which often treat the subject of identity search and not belonging anywhere. His father was killed in a concentration camp when Danilo was a boy, so the holocaust was also one of his obsessive topics. His most famous books are " The tomb for Boris Davidovich" dealing with individual fate in times of stalinism, and " The Encyclopaedia of the Dead" , its stories connected with the common theme of death, mixing facts, legends and fiction. His writing style wss similar to that of Borges.

Ivo Andric was awarded the Nobel prize...his literature, in my opinion, ten times better than that of Marquez, whose magical realism can often be over the top and sometimes outright silly. Andric relied on legends, but only in order to transmit universal truths. His world is that of Bosnia in Turkish times...the country of the people who shared the same language, and ethnic origins...but who were bitterly divided along religious lines. He examines how human destiny is shaped by factors beyond their power of control.

Milorad Pavic took the world by storm with his " Dictionary of the Khazars , written around the same time as Ecco' s " Name of the Rose" and in the same postmodernist key.

Zoran Zivkovic is acclaimed SF writer, whose books are studied at European and US universities. Can not comment on him much, as I do not read that genre of literature.

All in all, ex- Yugoslav literature deserves much more credit than it receives. It originated in the part of world that went through many storms and changes, and it is at its best when it deals with local topics in universal ways.

[IronMike]

The Bridge on the Drina is a must. Absolutely incredible writing.

[asterion]

The Bridge on the Drina is a must. Absolutely incredible writing.

Absolutely...I keep reading Andric over and over again, and every time I do it I discover something new, that I missed in my previous readings. Sadly, you can hardly expect that from the modern literature. All you are left with remembering is the plot.

If you liked Andric, than you will also like Mesa Selimovic and his " Death and the dervish". That book was inspired by a personal tragedy of its writer. His brother, who was a communist official and lieutenant in the new Yugoslav Army after the WW2, was executed by the firing squad for taking few pieces of furniture from the Army's warehouse. He did it so that his wife who was returning from the concentration camp would not have to see an empty flat( it was looted during the war). The writer was also the member of the Party so he was left torn between the two allegiances. He did not feel he had resovled the conflict in a satisfactory way, so he wrote the book, about the dervish who is living a life of seclusion in an ivory castle, protected by his dogma, until the death of his brother forces him to re-examine his previous views.

I apologize...I do not want to take over the thread. Just trying to write more about the neglected, but brilliant literature.

[Random Review]

I mentioned Ana María Matute earlier in the thread. I just wanted to let people in the UK know that Audible now has her collected stories as an audiobook!!!! Easiest credit I ever spent! I don't know if it's available on Audible in other countries, my guess is that it might be.

[MorkTheFiddle]

I mentioned Ana María Matute earlier in the thread. I just wanted to let people in the UK know that Audible now has her collected stories as an audiobook!!!! Easiest credit I ever spent! I don't know if it's available on Audible in other countries, my guess is that it might be.

Yes, the Audible site here in the USA does advertise her Todos Mis Cuentos for sale.

[tommus]

Anyone have a suggestion for an excellent Dutch novel? I have mostly read novels translated into Dutch. I have tried some of the well-known Dutch novels such as De Aanslag, and the classics such as Max Havelaar and Majoor Frans. Because of the Dutch language/spelling reforms, I find the classics, especially De Leeuw van Vlaanderen, to be difficult reading and perhaps counter productive in learning Dutch vocabulary.

And suggestions for a "must read"?

[tarvos]

Not even in the Netherlands do we read a lot of pre-war literature.

I would recommend taking a look at W.F. Hermans if you are interested in classic Dutch literature. Hella Haasse is apparently good, but I've never read her. There's always Gerard Reve if you like him (I couldn't care less).

Personally I enjoy a different type of Dutch fiction. Kees van Kooten is great and humorous and gives a good insight into the Dutch culture of the 70s and 80s. Adriaan van Dis is interesting too.

[Cavesa]

[
Danilo Kis was a much- appreciated European writer in his time. It is believed that he was a strong contender for the Nobel prize (Brodsky and Sontag were lobbying for him) but he died the night before it was decided. He called himself an " ethnographic rarity" as he was born in a Serbian town near the Hungarian border, to a father who was a Hungarian Jew, and a mother was a Serb from Montenegro, he spent the last decade of his life in France, and he wrote in Serbian. That conundrum of roots and identities is reflected in his books, which often treat the subject of identity search and not belonging anywhere. His father was killed in a concentration camp when Danilo was a boy, so the holocaust was also one of his obsessive topics. His most famous books are " The tomb for Boris Davidovich" dealing with individual fate in times of stalinism, and " The Encyclopaedia of the Dead" , its stories connected with the common theme of death, mixing facts, legends and fiction. His writing style wss similar to that of Borges.

Ivo Andric was awarded the Nobel prize...his literature, in my opinion, ten times better than that of Marquez, whose magical realism can often be over the top and sometimes outright silly. Andric relied on legends, but only in order to transmit universal truths. His world is that of Bosnia in Turkish times...the country of the people who shared the same language, and ethnic origins...but who were bitterly divided along religious lines. He examines how human destiny is shaped by factors beyond their power of control.

Milorad Pavic took the world by storm with his " Dictionary of the Khazars , written around the same time as Ecco' s " Name of the Rose" and in the same postmodernist key.

Zoran Zivkovic is acclaimed SF writer, whose books are studied at European and US universities. Can not comment on him much, as I do not read that genre of literature.

All in all, ex- Yugoslav literature deserves much more credit than it receives. It originated in the part of world that went through many storms and changes, and it is at its best when it deals with local topics in universal ways.

Thank you! Sorry for a late answer, but this looks like a great list! I really liked the Dictionary of the Khazars (even though I prefered the male version to the female one. Sure the difference is just one article, but still.)

Zivkovic sounds great and others too. I had a Marques filled year of so, when I was a teenager. So Andric looks very tempting. I might need some time before trying Kis, as I am mostly in need of lighter literature these days.

But now I have a problem. I may need to learn a language from that region

[asterion]

[
Danilo Kis was a much- appreciated European writer in his time. It is believed that he was a strong contender for the Nobel prize (Brodsky and Sontag were lobbying for him) but he died the night before it was decided. He called himself an " ethnographic rarity" as he was born in a Serbian town near the Hungarian border, to a father who was a Hungarian Jew, and a mother was a Serb from Montenegro, he spent the last decade of his life in France, and he wrote in Serbian. That conundrum of roots and identities is reflected in his books, which often treat the subject of identity search and not belonging anywhere. His father was killed in a concentration camp when Danilo was a boy, so the holocaust was also one of his obsessive topics. His most famous books are " The tomb for Boris Davidovich" dealing with individual fate in times of stalinism, and " The Encyclopaedia of the Dead" , its stories connected with the common theme of death, mixing facts, legends and fiction. His writing style wss similar to that of Borges.

Ivo Andric was awarded the Nobel prize...his literature, in my opinion, ten times better than that of Marquez, whose magical realism can often be over the top and sometimes outright silly. Andric relied on legends, but only in order to transmit universal truths. His world is that of Bosnia in Turkish times...the country of the people who shared the same language, and ethnic origins...but who were bitterly divided along religious lines. He examines how human destiny is shaped by factors beyond their power of control.

Milorad Pavic took the world by storm with his " Dictionary of the Khazars , written around the same time as Ecco' s " Name of the Rose" and in the same postmodernist key.

Zoran Zivkovic is acclaimed SF writer, whose books are studied at European and US universities. Can not comment on him much, as I do not read that genre of literature.

All in all, ex- Yugoslav literature deserves much more credit than it receives. It originated in the part of world that went through many storms and changes, and it is at its best when it deals with local topics in universal ways.

Thank you! Sorry for a late answer, but this looks like a great list! I really liked the Dictionary of the Khazars (even though I prefered the male version to the female one. Sure the difference is just one article, but still.)

Zivkovic sounds great and others too. I had a Marques filled year of so, when I was a teenager. So Andric looks very tempting. I might need some time before trying Kis, as I am mostly in need of lighter literature these days.

But now I have a problem. I may need to learn a language from that region

I have an androgyne version, so I do not have that problem... To be honest, I could never understand the hype surrounding that book...interesting idea, unusual form, some new post-modernist elements, but nothing more than that, to me at least. A lot of it seemed to be there only for the sake of being unusual, not having any deeper meaning.

Yes, Andric is an absolute must...you can not go wrong, not matter which of his books you decide to pick up.

To make you feel better, once you have learned one, you know the "other" 3 too.... . So, it is 4 birds with one stone.