Read a book from each country in Europe.

[sonjadog]

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.

[EBearhug]

Are there any authors from the little countries like Andorra and San Marino and Lichtenstein?

[LaFataTurchina]

For Italian classics I'd recommened the divine comedy/the betrothed (i promessi sposi)/or the name of the rose

Or for a modern novel - I'm not scared.

[paperclip2]

revolutionary,

I wouldn't say it's easy to enjoy Homer as you do need to know just a bit about the history and the gods, but it isn't too difficult to get into. It does take a couple of pages to get the hang of reading the verse.

The first time I read Homer all the way through, I read a prose version. It certainly helps to know the story, roughly, before you try to read one of the verse translations. I also think it depends very much on the translation how much you enjoy the read, some of the translations can be very stuffy. I personally enjoyed reading the Robert Fagles translation and listened to the audiobook read by Ian McKellen this winter and actually enjoyed listening more than reading. It is a great story and told really well.

[Rabbitcar]

A short history of tractors in Ukrainian - loved it.

[sydenhamhiller]

Oh what a great post! My English education 16-18 was the international baccalaureate, in the Netherlands, and it was great to have lots of 'international' authors... Have been very boringly English- centric since then, apart from my Scandiwegian crime addiction!

For the Netherlands, I would perhaps leave anne frank's diary, which is amazing ... But not perhaps so much about the Netherlands. We read 2 amazing books at school: Het Bittere Kruid (the Bitter herb - cannot remember the author), and 'the Assault' by Harry Mulisch. Both amazing.

[EBearhug]

I was given the Discovery of Heaven by Harry Mulisch by a Belgian boyfriend.

[SheherazadeSchadenfreude]

Germany: The Bread of Those Early Years - Heinrich Boll. My favourite book ever. I also loved The Call of the Toad by Gunter Grass - as close as a quick read to anything you will get by Grass.

Poland: A Warsaw Diary by Kazimierz Brandys. If you want something more literary, try Joseph Conrad (I struggle with Conrad).

Romania: Land of Green Plums by Herta Muller. What it was like being a German Transylvanian under communism.

France: The Ripening Seed by Colette. Or maybe Cheri.

Croatia: (or Former Yugoslavia) How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed by Slavenka Drakulic.

Belgium: The Sorrow of Belgium by Hugo Claus. Growing up in Flanders at the outbreak of WW2.

[SantanaLopez]

Oh, what a marvellous thread.

Germany: Berlin Alexanderplatz, All Quiet on the Western Front
Italy: the Leopard (divides opinions, I adore it), the Divine Comedy
France: Dangerous Liaisons
Russia: Doctor Zhivago, Quiet Flows the Don and Anna Karenina

Don Quixote for Spain? I'll admit I've never been able to finish it.

I don't know how to categorise Primo Levi, but he ought to be on the list.

[Allalonenow]

Eric Dickens is a prize winning translator with a solid body of European work, especially Dutch/Flemish and Estonian, so very well worth a Google.

The Dedalus publishing house specialises in European work, so again, worth a Google.

[Allalonenow]

I don't agree that Russia Ukraine or Turkey are in Europe.

[2468Motorway]

Levi, surely should represent Italy? I love his writing but I love the Periodic Table most. He brilliantly expresses what it is to be human.

[prettymess]

Belgium:Zwarte Tranen / Black Tears by Tom Lanoye
Holland: De Avonden / The evenings by Gerard Reve

I could list so many from the Low Lands!

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

The Devil's General for Germany would get my vote.

A pilot who doesn't want to be a fighter.

Stuart Maconie's books about Britain are bloody fucking lovely.

Pies and Prejudice (about the north) is one of my absolute favourite reads ever ever ever.

Bill Bryson's Notes From a Small Island is dated now, but still lovely.

Both make me homesick. And proud.

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

Dara's Tickling the English is good as well.

[WickedWitchoftheNorthWest]

I do think Turkey should be included though as it is partly on the continent of
Europe and partly Asia. I believe Istanbul is the only major city in the world that spans two continents. And Orhan Pamuk is certainly a worthy addition to the list.

What a great idea for a reading project. Most of my favourites have already been listed but for Germany you could go with My Century by Gunter Grass - 100 interlinked stories, one from every year in the twentieth century.

[RabbitPies]

Ukraine is considered to be entirely in Europe is it not? Russia is in both,yes the majority of land mass is in Asia,but the majority of the population is in Western,or European Russia.

[sonjadog]

I see that there may be political issues here regarding what is Europe and what isn't. I think I will go for geographical Europe. Any country or bit or country inside Europe, gets a book read.

[ThingsThatShine]

Allalonenow, of course Russia Ukraine and Turkey are Europe. Russia and Turkey are also in Asia but it doesn't mean they aren't in Europe at all

Good idea OP!

[brokenshoes]

So many wonderful book suggestions here, it would be a shame for the thread to go pffft in a few months' time, with it being in Chat. Just wondering if sonjadog would consider it being moved to Adult Fiction?

[sonjadog]

Does Adult Fiction get so much traffic as Chat? If so, I can certainly move it, or if not, I could leave it here for a while and then move. I was planning on printing out the thread myself. I didn't really think anyone else would be that interested.

I am compiling the list of which countries I am going to include now. I'm using the UN lists.

[sonjadog]

Ok, here are the rules I've made and the list of countries:

The rules:

• I have to read 48 books, one from each country on the UN list.
  

• The book has to be by an author from the country (they can live somewhere else when writing the book), and has to be set in the country.
  

• The book has to a book I haven't read before.
  

• Contemporary works are preferable where there is an option.
  

• The book has to be fiction, a biography or something else that refers to the culture or life in the country. No history books or other non-fictional works allowed.
  

• I will try to choose books that are recommended by other people.
  

Here are the countries I have to find books from:


ALBANIA

ANDORRA

ARMENIA

AUSTRIA

AZERBAIJAN

BELARUS

BELGIUM

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

BULGARIA

CROATIA

CZECH REPUBLIC

DENMARK

ESTONIA

FINLAND

FRANCE

GEORGIA

GERMANY

GREECE

HUNGARY

ICELAND

IRELAND

ISRAEL

ITALY

LATVIA

LIECHTENSTEIN

LITHUANIA

LUXEMBOURG

REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

MALTA

MOLDOVA

MONACO

MONTENEGRO

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

POLAND

PORTUGAL

ROMANIA

RUSSIA

SAN MARINO

SERBIA

SLOVAKIA

SLOVENIA

SPAIN

SWITZERLAND

SWEDEN

TURKEY

UKRAINE

UNITED KINGDOM

[KiaOraOAotearoa]

I can send you a Herta Muller for Romania if you wish?

[WickedWitchoftheNorthWest]

You could actually write a book yourself about this project if you wanted to. Especially if you read a book a week. And make it 52 countries instead of 48 (count Wales, England, Scotland, and NI separately and you'd be at 51 so would need to find just one more). So it would fall into the "my year of..." genre.

[Tournesol]

What an inspiring thread! I would love to do this though not sure I have the time at the moment, but one day!

You should totally write a blog on this, it would be really interesting.

[brokenshoes]

Probably not as much traffic in Adult Fiction, but some knowledgeable people over there. You've certainly captured my imagination and I'll be writing down some suggestions.