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Russian through literature | ||
Tags: Literature | Russian | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| tricoteuse Pentaglot Senior Member Norway littlang.blogspot.co Joined 6706 days ago 745 posts - 845 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, Norwegian, EnglishC1, Russian, French Studies: Ukrainian, Bulgarian | Message 129 of 148 03 August 2009 at 7:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have now listened to 35 hours of Anna Karenina. Today, on the metro , I actually got interested in the story for the first time perhaps. I realized I was listening to every word, and that has become rare.
What I am mostly thinking about right now is what book I would listen to after this one. I would really like to listen to a book that I can become passionate about. Can anyone recommend any classic in particular? Classics are so much easier to understand so I would prefer that when it comes to audio books. As for Галь's book I haven't come any further than page 45. It's very interesting though, I've already learned a couple of things I should look out for. Edited by tricoteuse on 03 August 2009 at 7:52pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tricoteuse Pentaglot Senior Member Norway littlang.blogspot.co Joined 6706 days ago 745 posts - 845 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Norwegian, EnglishC1, Russian, French Studies: Ukrainian, Bulgarian | Message 130 of 148 09 August 2009 at 2:32pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have finished listening to Anna Karenina with my concentration wavering somewhat towards the end. I'm glad I listened to it though, it's over 40 hours of audio input. Now I have started listening to a new book, one that reineke recommended on my blog; Gogol's "Taras Bulba". I have only listened to 25 minutes or so, but I had some trouble understanding what the first audio chapter was about. I may have to read it.
Reading wise, I realized that keeping away from fiction was a bad idea since it made me read much less than usual, and that was hardly the point. So I will just continue to read Nora's book on the side, while complementing it with various other books. The other book I started reading was Nataliya Tolstaya's "Odna", a collection of short stories that I think are somewhat connected, but I'm not sure. I've almost read three short stories so far, the first one took place on Gotland during the middle age week. Tomorrow information meetings and such begin at the University and I have already managed to buy two of my books secondhand, "Inventing the Nation - Russia" and "Politics in Russia". I plan on reading them during this week, following the advice of Evelyn Wood in her speed reading book: reading through all your course literature during the two first weeks of University. Edited by tricoteuse on 09 August 2009 at 10:57pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6731 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 131 of 148 09 August 2009 at 2:53pm | IP Logged | ||
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I suppose you know that Leos Janacek has made Taras Bulba into a Rhapsody in three parts for Orchestra? It has also been made into a film in 1962 - the Ride of the Cossacks is one of most exhilarating pieces of film music ever to be written (by Frank Waxman). And there is also a Russian film from 2009, - and some people may even like the music. If Gogol's book can inspire that much music then there must be something good to say about it. Edited by Iversen on 09 August 2009 at 3:35pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tricoteuse Pentaglot Senior Member Norway littlang.blogspot.co Joined 6706 days ago 745 posts - 845 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Norwegian, EnglishC1, Russian, French Studies: Ukrainian, Bulgarian | Message 132 of 148 09 August 2009 at 11:06pm | IP Logged | ||
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I did not know that there were so many things connected to Taras Bulba! I will certainly have to make sure I understand the story and then have a look at some "extra material".
-- I watched the movie Девчата today. As usual I had some problem understanding what they said, but it didn't hinder me in understanding the story. I did not, however, understand why one of the girls was crying in the middle of the night. It was a really nice movie, easy-going and universal ;) Me watching the movie actually started out with Star Trek. I had managed to find season one of The Next Generation, but when I sat down to watch the first episode I discovered that the Russian dubbing had just been slapped on top of the English speech, making it impossible to hear either one of them. Absolutely worthless. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Aeroflot Senior Member United States Joined 5630 days ago 102 posts - 115 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 133 of 148 09 August 2009 at 11:44pm | IP Logged | ||
First I'd like to say congratulations on finishing Anna Karanina in Russian. That's a long book to read even for people in their native languages.
I'll list a few that I've got in my library. Sorry if some of them you might have read already. Ivan Turgenev Fathers and Sons - A short novel about changes in Russia around 1850. Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment - About the repercussions of crime. Notes from the Underground - This is a novella-length psychological story about a lonely man. White Nights - A socially-inept young man falls in love with a woman he just met. This isn't a very long story. The Double - A funny and also sad story about a man who wants to fit in with the bourgeois crowd. Chekhov Short stories - You can find these everywhere. I recommend them the most, as they are short and are well-crafted. Edited by Aeroflot on 09 August 2009 at 11:46pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5866 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 134 of 148 12 August 2009 at 5:08pm | IP Logged | ||
You are clearly not a beginner, after checking your reading list I am really in awe. I can't believe I just sent you a PM with a tip about a film "where everybody speaks slowly and use simple words". :-) I am guessing you have already read "Revisorn" by Gogol even though I didn't spot it on the lists as I flicked through.. If not, it's a pretty nice book which I enjoyed reading in Swedish. I felt the same way as you about Anna Karenina, in fact I never finished the book, but thanks to the old American film I know how it ends anyway... And what is this focus on Harry Potter that is infesting the site!? SUddenly people are ignoring excellent litterature in other languages, just to read translations of Harry Potter. I honestly don't understand how people reason. It isn't even a particularly good story, and the language is nothing special. Whatever was good about it was probably lost in translation. Additionally: If people particularly want to read a childrens' book as they stat out, almost all countries have good childrens' books which also give the reader a better understanding of the local culture. Saying that, tricouteuse, do you know any childrens' books in Russian? (by Russian authors)? I am not ready for it yet, but it would be nice to have something to aim for, and I am definitely not ready to even consider Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tricoteuse Pentaglot Senior Member Norway littlang.blogspot.co Joined 6706 days ago 745 posts - 845 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Norwegian, EnglishC1, Russian, French Studies: Ukrainian, Bulgarian | Message 135 of 148 12 August 2009 at 9:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks for the suggestions, Aeroflot! For some reason, I didn't see your message until today.
I may have a look at some Dostoyevsky, but I am under the impression that his works are rather difficult. I have already read Chekhov's stories, but that was in a simplified edition so listening to them in their full versions may be a really good idea. I don't want to listen to Fathers and Sons since I bought that one as a "real" book in Russia :-) Cordelia, I find watching movies the hardest part of learning Russian, so movies with easy speech is really important :-) I have already found myself an old version of Anna Karenina and I will follow your suggestion. I don't know of any Russian books for children, but I think I have seen some on uztranslations. You should have a look there! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Aeroflot Senior Member United States Joined 5630 days ago 102 posts - 115 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 136 of 148 12 August 2009 at 9:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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If you are talking about the difficulty of Dostoevsky's vocabulary, then I can't say for sure if he is difficult. But if you mean the difficulty of the content, then Dostoevsky is of the same quality as Tolstoy. The big difference between the two authors is that Dostoevsky's characters like to live their lives in their heads. In that way I feel Dostoevsky is deeper than Tolstoy, but not by whole lot. He shouldn't he a problem to read if you've already tackled Anna Karenina. As a plus, Dostoevsky doesn't write long novels, except for The Brothers Karamazov. Many of his better works are only around 100 pages. So even if you are reading slowly you will finish soon.
If you can, definitely start out with White Nights or The Double. Those in my opinion are perfect examples of his work. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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