The Literary Blog Hop is hosted at The Blue Bookcase. This week's question:
What one literary work must you read before you die?
If you could see my bookshelves, I have a lot of books that I want to read before I die (there are so many that my husband jokes that I'll die first). Whether any of them are "must" reads might be open to interpretation, though; normally if there is I book I am eager to read I do so right away.
What I would like to do, though, is take a novel I've enjoyed - Les Miserables or The Elegance of the Hedgehog, for example - and be able to read, understand, and enjoy it in French. As I'm refreshing my skills in the language I've started reading small pieces -- magazine articles mostly, as well as some stuff on the Internet -- but I have some work to do before I can be comfortable reading a complete novel. However, once I do have more confidence in my ability I think that the familiarity I have with these stories will be a great help WHEN I tackle them in their original language.
And then when that's done I can start accumulating books in a second language! My husband will be so thrilled........
What work is on your literary bucket list?
The Elegance of the Hedgehog has been on my wishlist for so long!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with French! :)
Ah, I love this answer. A favorite novel reread in French. I agree: I want to do the same one day. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm too lazy to learn a language well enough so I can read some of the great literary works in the original. But yours sounds like a noble goal.:)
ReplyDeleteHi there,
ReplyDeleteLes Miserables is one of my favourites. I would love that ability to read it in French.
I am going to have to say Lolita by Nabokov.
ReplyDeleteWhat an ambitious goal. Good for you! I had to think about this one for a while but came up with this.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good idea! I love the French language, studied it for years at school, but I'm not very good at it now. I could never read a book in French. I hope you'll succeed soon!
ReplyDeleteI think the most probable answer to this, is the book I happen to be reading, but I thought that after my post was completed.
ReplyDeleteWow. I learnt Spanish as a young adult. I speak better that I read. I cannot fathom reading a spanish language book though. I wish you the best of luck.
ReplyDeleteReading a book in another language is not something I feel equipped to do. The only language I know at all is Spanish, but talk about rusty and dusty!
ReplyDeleteGreat answer. I studied French for years and love the language, but I'm definitely not equipped to read anything in French, beyond maybe Le Petit Prince (and even then with great effort). I hear great things about Hedgehog, and Les Mis (English version) is on my "must read" list.
ReplyDeleteStopping by on the hop!
ReplyDeleteMy mom would love that goal as she loves books and is semi-fluent in French. Maybe I should suggest it to her?
Me...only English.
A worthy goal! I read L'étranger by Camus in French a few summers ago, he was fairly easy and a good place to start. :)
ReplyDeleteI took French in high school and was good enough to read simple, grade school level stuff. I wish i had stuck with it because i loved Hedgehog and am sure it would be even lovelier in French!
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