Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Original poster

Read a book from each country in Europe.

159 replies

sonjadog · 04/05/2014 18:32

I was just reading an article about someone who had a goal to read one book from each country in the world and it has inspired me to start my own project to read a book from each country in Europe.

I want to read a novel or a biography or something along those lines and it must be set on the country with an author from the country.

So, do you have a favourite author from your country? Do you have a book recommendation?

I'm thankful for all suggestions, even if you aren't from the country the book is from.

OP posts:
Original poster
sonjadog · 04/05/2014 20:36

Great suggestions! I will make a list of countries, look through the book suggestions here and see what I have and what is missing. I'll check out your book suggestions on Amazon and see which one take my fancy.

I'll post my list here, so watch this space...

OP posts:
FiveGoMadInDorset · 04/05/2014 20:30

Kafka - Czech republic
Miklos Banfy - Hungary

KiaOraOAotearoa · 04/05/2014 20:30

blue thank you so much for reminding me of Kazantzakis, he is absolutely amazing!

paperclip2 · 04/05/2014 20:27

Germany:
'Dark Matter' (English translation, US version is called 'In Free Fall' ) by Juli Zeh

Bosnia:
'The Bridge on the Drina' by Ivo Andric

Albania:
'The Siege' by Ismail Kadare

Portugal:
'Blindness' by Jose Saramago

I've read all of these and they are all very very good.

KiaOraOAotearoa · 04/05/2014 20:27

Ok, see if I can do this (fab idea btw)with only the authosr I personally read.

A
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria: Bernhard and/or Stefan Zweig
Azerbaijan
B
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bulgaria
C
Croatia:Edo Popovic, Dumbravka Ugresic
Cyprus
Czech Republic:Kafka
D
Denmark:Soren Kierkegaard (philosopher, brilliant!)
E
Estonia
F
Finland
France: I read most Honore de Balzac believe it or not. I had a phase in my youth. Also Jean Jaque Rousseau.
G
Georgia
Germany:Patrick Suskind 'Perfume'
Greece: Plato, Homer... Can't remember any modern ones:(
H
Hungary:Sandor Marai
I
Iceland: Gunnar Gunnarsson
Ireland:Beckett, Swift, joyce
Italy: Goliarda Sapienza : The art of joy (reading atm)
K
Kosovo
L
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
M
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
N
The Netherlands: Cees Noteboom. Love him!
Norway:Knut Hamsun
P
Poland:Sienkiewicz, particularly enjoyed Quo Vadis, do try it.
Portugal:Jose Saramago
R
Romania: Eliade, Camil Petrescu
Russia: Dostoievsky, Tolstoi, Cehov. Really. Most of what they wrote.
S
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain: Borges is my favourite. Beautiful!
Sweden: Astrid Lindgren
Switzerland
T
Turkey: Elif Shafak, she is amazing!
U
Ukraine:
United Kingdom: gosh, lots, but it doesn't count, I live here
V
Vatican City

Hmm....

Allalonenow · 04/05/2014 20:23

Bruges la Morte by Georges Rodenbach (Belgium)

paperclip2 · 04/05/2014 20:17

Great idea!
I've read all of the following (except one) and they are all very very good.

Iceland:
'Angels of the Universe' by Einar Mar Gudmundsson
'Independent People' by Halldor Laxness

Norway:
'Dina's Book' by Herbjorg Wassmo - once you start reading this you can't put it down
'Kristin Lavransdatter' by Sigrid Undset
'My Struggle 1' by Karl Ove Knausgaard - I haven't read this one yet but it is a much talked about, brutally honest autobiographical novel.

Sweden:
'Blackwater' by Kerstin Ekman
'Roseanna' by Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo - the first of a series of ten crime novels set in Sweden in the 60s - these were the beginning of Scandinvian crime fiction (and the best of the lot).

Finland:
'The Summer Book' by Tove Jansson

Finland/Estonia:
'Purge' by Sofi Oksanen (she is Finnish/ Estonian and the novel takes place in Estonia)

MaddAddam · 04/05/2014 20:16

Poland: Esther Hautzig "The endless steppe" is a Polish book (about being deported to Siberia in ww2, there seem to be a few similar books on the thread). not set in the country though so that might fail the OP's rules. I can't think of any other Polish books.

Czech Republic. Milan Kundera, "the unbearable lightness of being".

Austria "The von trapp family" which is the Sound of Music story. Or Edmund de Waal "The hare with amber eyes". Set in Vienna.

Switzerland - Heidi. If you allow children's books.

Portugal - can't think of anything at all.

Igneococcus · 04/05/2014 20:13

bloody phone
favorite German book would be Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks, closely followed by Sten Nadolny's Selim oder die Gabe der Rede

Igneococcus · 04/05/2014 20:12

If I had to chose my favourite German book it would be

HazleNutt · 04/05/2014 20:12

From Estonia, you could read either this:
www.amazon.co.uk/The-Czars-Madman-Jaan-Kross/dp/186046579X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399230583&sr=8-1&keywords=jaan+kross

or I guess this one, but it's not really that well written: www.amazon.com/My-Estonia-Passport-Forgery-Stories/dp/9949901545

Allalonenow · 04/05/2014 20:10

The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman (Poland) heartbreaking but wonderful too.

znaika · 04/05/2014 20:10

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

starkadder · 04/05/2014 20:07

Also Blindness by Jose Saramago (Portugal). A bit weird but v beautiful and memorable.

starkadder · 04/05/2014 20:05

I Served the King of England by Hrabal (Czech) is excellent.

Allalonenow · 04/05/2014 20:05

The Reader by Bernhardt Schlink from Germany, wonderful book.

somewherewest · 04/05/2014 20:05

Just wanted to add that most of the stories in Dubliners are very accessibly written. Joyce didn't go entirely impenetrable for a little longer!

Suttonmum1 · 04/05/2014 20:04

There are always good recommendations at the back of the Rough Guide books.

somewherewest · 04/05/2014 20:03

For Ireland I would recommend John McGahern's Amongst Women. There are also several wonderful stories in James Joyce's Dubliners. My favourites are A Painful Case and The Dead.

veronicasawyerheartsjd · 04/05/2014 20:02

Another Finnish suggestion, The Summer Book by Tove Jannson, who wrote the Moomins books. It is a beautiful part fiction, part memoir story set at her family's summer home in Finland.

Bluestocking · 04/05/2014 20:00

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was Colombian.

revolutionarytoad · 04/05/2014 19:59

I also read a kid's book recently called The Hungry Wind (by Soinbhe Lally) about some Irish kids who get sent to Australia during the famine.

oricella · 04/05/2014 19:58

Arthur Japin, the two hearts of Kwasi Boachi... Dutch, with a touch of Africa and Java. Based on a true story..

theresnowheretohidewithachip · 04/05/2014 19:56

'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini (Afghan/American writer)

'Perfume' by Patrick Suskind" (translated from the German)

Loved both of these.

Karenthetoadslayer · 04/05/2014 19:55

Fruttero et Lucentini, any one of their books, but especially "L'amante senza fissa dimora". Smile

From Italy.

Swipe left for the next trending thread