Thread to discuss foreign reading

[Taswama]

So, this is to share the books you are reading/ have read in a foreign language.
I read in French and German, but other languages welcome too.

Thanks for the thread Taswana

I am reading a book DS gave me for Christmas: Great French Short Stories of the Twentieth Century. It's one of those side-by-side books in two languages. Useful for not having to stop and look up vocabulary. I'm being disciplined and reading the French page twice before searching for the words I don't know on the Engish side. Incidentally, the translation is appalling! But works fine as a handy dictionary.

I've made resolutions about reading in French before and faded away by mid Jan so if we can encourage one another on this thread that would be a great help

Also, I'm studying Italian - I'm not fluent but suggestions of very simple short reads would be great. Something along the lines of Le Petit Nicolas would be more than challenging enough!

Place marking as I’m also interested in reading in French or German. Great idea for a thread! I’m not very au fait with current publishing trends but in the past have enjoyed reading the books by Daniel Pennac - La saga Malaussène. There’s also lots of great graphic novels in French, from Tintin to Persepolis, l like all sorts of different styles. Keen to hear suggestions!

In German, I can recommend Tschik by Wolfgang Herrndorf.

Thanks for the thread Taswama! This year in French I read Madame Bovary which I loved and I abandoned Notre Dame de Paris - sooo hard! Every second word I had to look up - and then look up what the English translation meant! 😆 I have a very vague idea that I would like to retire to France so need to improve my French! I'm especially interested in reading contemporary French novelists but don't really know where to start. My dh reads a lot in French too but sadly I hate most of his book choices!

In Italian, the highlight of my year was reading a book on St Claire by Dacia Maraini (?) A completely random choice but it led me to go on a sort of pilgrimage to see her tomb in Assisi which was really interesting.

Also - you probably already know this but I only discovered it recently: on a kindle, if you have the right dictionary installed, you can look up a translation immediately by touching the word - very handy!

Welcome @highlandcoo and @Bionicname !

Funny, I've never thought of Tintin as a graphic novel, but I suppose it is. We love Asterix here too.

What is Tschik about Bionic ?

I've just finished 'Altes Land' by Dörte Hansen. It is about 3 women - Vera, who comes to the countryside outside Hamburg as a refugee in 1944, from Prussia; her younger half-sister who grew up in Hamburg, and her niece Anne who comes to live with her aunt with her son when her relationship breaks down, effectively a refugee from the stifling middle class world of her Hamburg district (Ottensen), where the 'Vollwertmutter' take their children outside daily 'zu lüften' and feed them organic rice cakes and let them choose their own clothing. There are some male characters too, one who is particularly annoying and patronising. I really enjoyed this book and it made me laugh and cry too.

Welcome @Europilgrim ! Great to have another French reader.
I only read actual books, French books are mostly passed on by my mum or a local French friend.

I started reading 'les rois maudits' which is historical fiction this year, but written 50 or so years ago. Mum gave me the first one and then when I enjoyed it she went round second Hand bookshops this summer until she had the full set! I had to look up chancreux and then the English explanation - it was an insult traded between the Italian merchants, I'd understood the others and guessed it was probably sex related. It means someone who had a veneral disease such as syphilis.

Morning all!

Recommendation for Europilgrim :

Le chapeau de Mitterand is a nice quirky little book, published in 2013.
The idea is that François M has left his hat behind in a restaurant, someone picks it up and has it for a time, somehow it gets passed on to someone else and basically it's the adventures of this hat as it does the rounds of various places.
Each chapter is like a short story so can be read in small chunks. That's the trouble with me and books in another language .. I get daunted by the length of them, so this was ideal.

Bionic, I hadn't thought of graphic novels however I've been meaning to read Persepolis for ages, so could tackle that in French. Great idea.

Hi @Taswama if you’re into historical stuff, you should try Marthe et Mathilde by Pascal Hugues - it’s about two friends born in Alsace around the turn of the century. One girl is French, the other German, and it’s a lovely tale of friendship against the backdrop of a really interesting period of history. Hugues is the granddaughter of both women so there are lots of anecdotes and lovely photos mixed in.

Thanks for the recommendations!

Great thread thank you!

I'm hoping to read more in French and Spanish so just marking my place and looking for recommendations.

I can read in French and German, but rarely do so. I very much should though, so thanks for the recommendations. I really like the sound of 'Le Chapeau de Mitterand' and will check out 'Tschik'.

I'm teaching myself Spanish and am studying for an A Level in it, so I've been focussing on reading in Spanish lately. I've recently enjoyed 'La Sombra del Viento' by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and two Isabel Allende books - 'La Casa de los Espíritus'and 'La Isla Bajo el Mar'. I loved the latter - it is about a female slave during the revolution in Haiti.

I mostly read in English though, and have quite a waiting lost of books. I think I need to start alternating and reading a foreign one after every English one!

That sounds really interesting @Kate105 . I have added it to my list.

Welcome @Bumbl and @lazylinguist .

I like both Carlos Ruis Zafon and Isabelle Allende but have only read in translation. I did Spanish at GCSE twenty years ago and am doing it on Duolingo currently but am a long way from being able to read a book I think.

Well hello, another French reader here.

I also really enjoyed the Daniel Pennac Malaussene novels, and I love Fred Vargas - both the Adamsburg series and the three evangelist series.

Didier van Cauwelaert is also worth a look, especially Aller Simple which is very funny.

On a more serious note Patrick Modiano is good, and Philippe Claudel.

Madame Bovary in French is on my pile to be read also europilgrim although my nemesis, for a very long time, has been War and Peace in the original and I am DETERMINED to finish it eventually.

Ooh..good luck Superstardjs! I read it (in English) many years ago and all I could tell you about it now is that some bits are about war and others about peace.... I did learn some Russian at school but not enough to read a novel.

It is in Russian, the original, not French? Just realised I don't know!

Welcome Tonton and Superstar .

I like Fred Vargas too, although a bit slow to start at times so I have to force myself to persevere.

Hello! Thank you for the recommendations for the books in French. I have some 'Maigret' books on the kindle and am working my way through them slowly. I'll see if I can recommend any others. I read 'Madame Bovary' in college a long time ago. I might reread it by doing a chapter a day.

I'll join you if I may though can't promise to actually read very much. My degree is French and Spanish and I've lived in Italy for 27 years (and have never read one single book in Italian )
I did dig out some of the books I read at university and while living in Spain and got round to rereading my absolute favourite last year which is Requiem por un campesino español which is a Graham Green-esque short novel about a priest, a peasant and the Civil War.
I'd like to reread the books I did for German A level but after so many years I don't think I'd understand much. Des Teufels General was my favourite (a play) and I liked Dantons Tod as well which sparked a lasting interest in the French Revolution though it was odd to learn so much about it in German.
I've read Luis Zafon in translation and we've got him in English, Spanish and Italian as DD is studying Spanish and wanted to read it in the original.

I'm reading the correspondence of Margaret of Austria, from the early 16th century in French.
One day I aim to read a Colette novel, probably The Vagabond, in the original French. I find it very interesting to see how different the tone of different translations are.
I would be up for reading a novel alongside others, chapter by chapter. It would have to be in French, but the short stories mentioned at the start of the thread sound interesting. Would anyone like to join me?

Good idea Mama.

It was me who mentioned the short stories. I imagine my son bought them on Amazon. It would be good to have someone to discuss the details with. I have no one in real life who wants to do that! I've only read the first story so far.

Alternatively, Le Chapeau de Mitterand would also work well if that appeals? Happy to reread.

is this it?
link
If it is, I'll order it and let you know when it comes.
Does anyone else fancy joining in?

I like Dany LaFerriere’s books, L’Odeur du Cafe is very good and simple. I read Le Cahier, (about the twins). Good, but disturbing. I like the idea of instantly translation on Kindle or kobo!

It’s Le Grand Cahier by Agota Kristoff. (was recommended to me at a bookshop in Montreal). (in the good old days, when we could travel)

I'll join in :)