French Authors with easy styles

[mayneverhave]

When I was in high school, we read pretty much only Camus, Sartre, and Ionesco in my French classes. I'm pretty sure it was because my teacher figured those would be the easiest for us to read. And indeed, I didn't have very much trouble reading them. Unfortunately, this didn't lead to me having a very good background in French lit.

But if you are up for some absurdity or some existentialism, you probably won't have much trouble with those authors.

I only recommended Camus because I had assumed he would serve as an easy French text to understand in the original - I don't care if the work's themes would be too difficult or if the reader even enjoys it. I myself was huge on Camus at one point, but my tastes have changed.

As for providing a background into French lit, I'm sure JBI does not exactly require that, only good practice texts in French.

[kratsayra]

I only recommended Camus because I had assumed he would serve as an easy French text to understand in the original - I don't care if the work's themes would be too difficult or if the reader even enjoys it. I myself was huge on Camus at one point, but my tastes have changed.

As for providing a background into French lit, I'm sure JBI does not exactly require that, only good practice texts in French.

Certainly. I agree with you. I was just suggesting, for my own recommendations, that if he doesn't like existentialism or the absurd, he wouldn't like my recommendations much. even if they are in fairly easy to read French.

and I was only commenting on my own knowledge of and background in French lit. I think it was kind of silly my French teacher had us only read that stuff. I had her for three years, and that was all we read, ever. she never delved into other stuff. but it's true those authors have an easy style. looking back though, I think it's kind of funny.

[mona amon]

I've already read Le Petit Prince, so one can refrain from recommending it, despite its obvious fulfillment of the criteria. - JBI

How about Vol de Nuit and Terre des Hommes by the same author? I've read the latter only in an english translation, but we had Vol de Nuit as a textbook in school. I liked both very much.

[Gustavo L.]

we had Vol de Nuit as a textbook in school. I liked both very much.

I second that. Great book.

I'd also suggest the play Ondine by Jean Giraudoux. It was the first book I read in French.

Le Livre du Graal (edited by Gallimard) is an annotated bilingual edition (medieval and modern French) of the complete Arthurian Vulgate Cycle. The modern French text is very easy.

[kiki1982]

I second Le petit Nicolas! So funny.
That was the only book I enjoyed in my school years French, actually.

[MANICHAEAN]

Try "Pere Goriot" by Honore de Balzac. Its a nice easy flowing style. Another alternative is " Les Nourritures Terrestres" The Fruits of the Earth by Andre Gide.
Its so easy nowdays to download from the internet in both French & English if you get stuck.
Courage mon brave!

[Madame X]

Maupassant is an excellent suggestion. Sure, he's a bit of an old-schooler but the language is highly accessible and he's astonishingly concise, for a Frenchman. A random excerpt from Le horla:

Je hâtai le pas, inquiet d’être seul dans ce bois, apeuré sans raison, stupidement, par la profonde solitude. Tout à coup, il me sembla que j’étais suivi, qu’on marchait sur mes talons, tout près, à me toucher.

You'll hardly break a sweat on it.

[Whifflingpin]

The Arsene Lupin stories are somewhere between "children's books within a French canon" and "merely good, easy reading" Sort of equivalent standing to Sherlock Holmes.

[lupe]

"Les mots etrangers" or anything else by Vasilis Alexakis. His books are easy to read, very pleasant and though-provoking. The French AND the Greek versions are the originals.

[Pecksie]

One of my french teachers recommend me Anna Gavalda's books.She said its language is simple and clean.I haven't read yet so i don't know if she is right.But i think,you should give it a try

Her books are easy, all right... but light and vapid. I tried two (which were very cheap on Amazon) and they're the typical, overhyped light fare.

A wonderful French novel which shouldn't be too easy to read is Simone de Beauvoir's 'All Men are Mortal'. It's about twenty years since I first read it, and I still love it...

[crystalmoonshin]

Is his language a little archaic though - I remember reading him in English, and finding him a little bit old-fashion, and my knowledge of French isn't that great, so I'm not at all sure how the language has really changed over time, as I haven't really read texts from many eras - is the older language very different, like English, or has the language remained rather static, like in Italian?

Oops, I checked out the book in our library and his fables are written in the form of poetry... The ones I read were in prose... Must have been edited out to facilitate reading. My bad.

[kiki1982]

Yes, they are written in poetry, but they're not that hard...

Here is a link, with certain expressions explained in French...

http://www.la-fontaine-ch-thierry.net/fables.htm

[crystalmoonshin]

Thanks for the link, Kiki.

[kiki1982]

No problem, Cristalmoonshin(e).

The French are great, they put everything on the internet and well too!

[JoBourne]

Or ... following Amarne's suggestion ... can you get hold of bandes dessinées?
Great way to enjoy French.

Glance at
http://www.bdtheque.com/
(see the boutique to buy)