5 classic books for language learners

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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. 28 Shares 7 5

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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.

28Shares

7

5

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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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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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