What to read in English?

[Sirin]

Hi, all!
I am studying English and want to read something out of fiction in that language. I tried "Picture of Dorian Gray" - it is still difficult for me, I almost overpowered half, constantly looking in the dictionary.
Please advise me interesting books that are worth reading in its original language, which I could master.
Better if I can make a list of books on the increasing difficulty of the text.
Thanks in advance!

[Charles Darnay]

It's an interesting question - a great book with accessible language? Personally I would say to look to 20th century as opposed to 19th century writing.

The Great Gatsby, for example, excellent book - not so difficult writing.
Heart of Darkness - same thing.
Grapes of Wrath - probably a bit trickier.
Fifth Business (or anything by Robertson Davies)

It comes down to what you are interested in - but my advice would be to start in the 20th century. (or 21st, I suppose....I guess it's about time to include 21st century writings into my recommendations)

[Sirin]

I would say to look to 20th century as opposed to 19th century writing.
You are right, I'm not ready for the vocabulary of the 19th century, but I so love Wilde )


The Great Gatsby, for example, excellent book - not so difficult writing.
Heart of Darkness - same thing.
Grapes of Wrath - probably a bit trickier.
Fifth Business (or anything by Robertson Davies)
"Gatsby" - I read it in Russian, so it would not be so interesting. Maybe "Tender Is the Night"?

I will try to read other books from your list.
Thank you, Charles!

[Charles Darnay]

Tender is the Night is also good.

Oscar Wilde is wonderful - but there is so much intricacy with word play which demands a good vocabulary. This is particularly the case with his plays.

[monkeygiraffe]

catcher in the rye, franny and zooey or anything by j.d.salinger
adventures of tom sawyer/huckleberry finn
f scott fitzgerald short story anthologies
p g wodehouse

none of them too difficult, probably in order of decreasing difficulty

[Calidore]

What types of fiction do you like reading in your native language?

[Sirin]

Oscar Wilde is wonderful - but there is so much intricacy with word play which demands a good vocabulary.
I understand that.

At this forum, I saw a theme dedicated to Mayakovsky, russian poet, futurist.
I think he is untranslatable. The impossibility of translation - the main reason for learning foreign languages for me.

monkeygiraffe, thank you!


What types of fiction do you like reading in your native language?
I like all world classics. Balzac, Hugo, Goethe... many others. But my real passion: decadent literature of late 19th - early 20th century.

[Austin Butler]

Have you tried reading Hemingway? His language is simple and his novels and stories are interesting reads.

[sulrey]

Try the memoir October Sky. It isn't fiction, but it is a good story about a young man's journey into the American space race in 1959 and his years growing up in a coal mining town in Virginia during his high school years. After watching Russia launch their rocket, he decided he wanted to work for NASA. I hope you find it interesting. It's original title is Rocket Boys.

Happy Reading!

[Scheherazade]

Hello, Sirin.

Being an ESOL speaker myself, I understand the difficulties of reading in a languages that is other than your native tongue only too well. I remember struggling to read most novels even while at university (which is where I studied English "properly").

Have you tried reading some short stories to begin with? Since you ask for works from the early 20th century, O'Henry might be worth a look:

http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/

Also, Winesburg, Ohio was a favorite of mine in those days:

http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/AndOhio.html

I will post more later on...

[Sirin]

Thanks, guys. You really helped me.

[Aidan]

You already have many wonderful suggestions! I just wanted to ask if you had any sort of reading/kindle app? I only ask because I have a friend learning English as her second language and in order to read some of the classics she reads them on a kindle app for the iPad. They offer a free dictionary app so all you have to do is tap the unfamiliar word for the definition. It certainly makes reading an unfamiliar language a bit easier since you don't have to stop and look up each word in a separate book.

[kev67]

I would have thought something by George Orwell might be suitable. He is famous for using simple, straightforward language. He didn't like using obscure, latinate words or complex sentences. In the introduction to The Road to Wigan Pier, an editor used an example of one of his sentences which contained only one word with more than one syllable. Orwell once boasted that he managed to write a book using only one semicolon.

Another suggestion is Watership Down by Richard Adams. I read it eight times as a boy, so the language must have been quite straightforward, except for a few words in rabbit language and some wild flowers and plants.

[Adolescent09]

John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' or 'The Moon is Down' or 'The Pearl' or 'The Red Pony'... Simply put any novella by Steinbeck should be a piece of cake. Simple stories with periodically deep meanings but for now you can forget that. Just enjoy the story!

[cafolini]

I recommend a thorough study of Alfred the Great for every English person. I think it would be as valuable as a study of Gettysburg, Lincoln, Meade and Lee. Some parts of history are fundamental to the outcome of civilizations.

[ennison]

Is that Alfie the cake burner? I would suggest that reading modern popular writers would be a first step for someone wanting to master the modern written word . the classics could come later and in short bursts.

[synodbio]

1. Choose your level for easy English news.
2. Read every news article in your level once.
3. Look at all new words in the dictionary.
4. Read the article again.
5. If there is audio or video under the article, listen to it. Listen to it many times. Stop only when you understand perfectly all the words.
6. Listen to old articles and check if you still understand them.

[synodbio]

To get a good feeling for the use of articles in English you need to read lots of sentences, analysing them closely.