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6/23/2015 90 Days to Language Learning Glory | 5 Classic Books For Language Learners 90 Days to Language Learning Glory
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5 Classic Books For Language Learners
by Lykke in Language Learning Inspiration | June 22, 2015
I love to read. It is sometimes difficult to find the time, but
despite all kinds of modern technology classic books remain
one of the best forms entertainment.
When we are learning another language, learning about the
culture where it stems from should be part of the experience,
as language and culture are often inextricably linked. Classic
books from different cultures are valuable to this purpose as
they aren’t just entertaining, they also teach us about the
culture, history, and ways of thinking in parts of these cultures.
Sometimes these classic pieces of literature have even been
part of shaping their surrounding cultures.
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If you are a beginner in a language, you can jump right into it
and read the classics in their original language, but even if you
don’t feel ready for that and read it in English – or your own
language, whatever that may be – you will still be able to get a
much better understanding of the culture of your target
language.
Below are five classic books from different countries that I
have really enjoyed reading, and that have helped me
appreciate their countries and cultures of origin better.
If you know of any classic books either from your country or in
your target language, which should be added to the list, feel
free to do so in the comment section.
Russian:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – Анна КаренинаThe Russian worldfamous writer Leo Tolstoy wrote the
classic masterpiece ‘Anna Karenina’ , which has captivated
readers worldwide for years.
6/23/2015 90 Days to Language Learning Glory | 5 Classic Books For Language Learners 90 Days to Language Learning Glory
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In ‘Anna Karenina’, consists of two parallel stories, one is
about the prosperous Russian woman Anna who falls head
over heels in love with an officer, ruining her family and his
marriage. The other story is about landowner Ljovin, who has
lost his heart to the young Kitty, but despite this great love,
never really finds happiness.
‘Anna Karenina’ is a poignant description of that one true
great love that may lead to all sorts of tragedy, but which is so
strong that those involved can’t give it up. I have read it in
English and loved it, I can only imagine how amazing it would
be in Russian – its original language. I do not speak Russian,
let alone read it, but I am a sucker for romance and it really is
a great read (Despite bad reviews I even liked the movie with
Keira Knightley).
Japanese:
The WindUp Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
– ねじまき鳥クロニクル
Toru Okada lives quietly live in Japan with his wife Kumiko
and cat. One day the cat suddenly disappears without a trace,
and shortly afterwards his wife.Okada starts getting
mysterious phone calls and is approached by strange people.
He suddenly starts can’t tell reality from imagination.
6/23/2015 90 Days to Language Learning Glory | 5 Classic Books For Language Learners 90 Days to Language Learning Glory
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A young girl from the neighborhood calls Toru Okada Mr.
WindUp Bird. Apparently the cry of a windup bird sounds like
a windup clock, small and insignificant, but determines
whether or not the world keeps going or comes to a standstill.
If you can read it in Japanese then go for it, but even in
English, it gives you a great insight into Japanese culture
(although Murakami is very Westernoriented). The WindUp
Bird Chronicle is 600 pages long, but it’s written in a simplistic
tone and the reader lives and breathes with Okada’s struggle
to find his wife and himself. It’s a great novel where
psychology, philosophy, history and storytelling go hand in
hand.
It made me want to learn Japanese.
Portuguese:
Veronika Decides To Die by Paulo Coelho –
Veronika Decide Morrer24 year old Veronika has decided to commit suicide. She
thinks life is empty, predictable and boring and eats a handful
6/23/2015 90 Days to Language Learning Glory | 5 Classic Books For Language Learners 90 Days to Language Learning Glory
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of sleeping pills. She wakes up in a psychiatric hospital in
Slovenia, and is told that she only has a few days left to live
because the pills have ruined her organs. Veronika makes a
connection with two of her fellow patients, and tries to express
herself artistically and sexually in the few days she’s got left
on this earth, something that she never got to do before. The
novel is really basically about madness versus normalcy – it’s
psychological and philosophical all at once. The Writer, Paulo
Coelho writes some really interesting psychological portraits of
people who have never been allowed to use their artistic
talent. The point he is trying to convey is that not being
allowed to express yourself artistically can have devastating
effects.
I read this book in Danish and couldn’t put it down, I have read
a few of Paulo Coelho’s books, he is a great writer. Veronika
Decides To Die is definitely my favourite (then they made a
terrible movie, in which Buffy the Vampire Slayer plays
Veronika, couldn’t get through it and want to forget about it, so
let’s not talk about that). If you are learning
Portuguese/Brazilian Portuguese – read it the original
Veronika Decide Morrer. It’s only about 180 pages, so it is
absolutely doable.
6/23/2015 90 Days to Language Learning Glory | 5 Classic Books For Language Learners 90 Days to Language Learning Glory
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French:
The Little Prince by Antoine de SaintExupéry – Le
Petit PrinceThis is the wondrous tale of a little prince, who on his
educational journey through the universe, learning about love,
life and death. The Little Prince is the story of a pilot who
crashlands in the desert. He meets a little prince from
outerspace who tells the pilot about his home planet, asteroid
B612. It’s about the size of a house, and from it you can see
44 sunsets in one day. The little Prince has landed on planet
earth on his tour of planets and hopes to make friends, while
rescuing his beloved rose.
On his trip, the Prince has met a domineering king, a greedy
businessman, and an alcoholic who drinks to forget that he is
ashamed of his drinking. After these encounters the prince
has decided that adults are weirdos. The story also includes
sheep, a speaking flower, a geographer who knows nothing
about his own planet, and a fox who want to be tame.
The best and most poetic story, is the one the Prince tells of
his beautiful rose. He talks to it, spends time with it and gives
it love. Due to all this love the rose has become special and
beautiful.Unfortunately the rose is being eaten up by strange
Baobab trees, so he’s travelling the universe to get help.
There are many grains of wisdom in this book and the most
important one is this: ‘One sees clearly only with the heart.
Anything essential is invisible to the eyes’ or in French; ‘On ne
voit bien qu’avec le cœur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les
yeux’
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I actually read this in French class in High School and really
loved it. If you are learning French this is a classic and an
essential read. Better yet it already exists as a lesson on
LingQ.
Spanish:
Nada by Carmen Laforet – Nada‘Nada’ takes place right after the Spanish civil war and gives a
really great insight to Spain’s history. The main character is
18yearold Andrea who has come to Barcelona to study
literature.
Moving to and studying in Barcelona is everything she has
been dreaming of, but she is an orphan and poor, and living
with her grandmother turns out to be anything but great. Her
relatives are distrusting and depressed following the war. But
then she meets another student, Ena, who shows her a
different kind of life, when Ena’s modern metropolitan family
takes Andrea in.
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The book is an exploration of Barcelona through the eyes of
the main character as she walks and walks through the streets
of the city describing central points such as the cathedral and
the university. There are only a few descriptions of ruins and
other memories of the war, but Nada is definitely dark and
melancholic.
The oppressive atmosphere of the artist’s grandmother’s
apartment is a picture of life in Spain after the Civil War, while
the dictator of Spain General Franco had the country in an
iron grip to retain his power. Nada somehow escaped
censorship. I read this book in English a few years ago and I
am currently trying to get through it in Spanish, and it definitely
helps having read it before.
Tags: cultures, English, French, fun, German, inspirational,
Language learning, Learning Spanish, Mexico, Spain
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