Favorite original Esperanto literature? (Esperanto) Language Learning Forum

Favorite original Esperanto literature?
Tags: Literature \| Esperanto
Language Learning Forum : Esperanto

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dmaddock1
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Message 1 of 16

15 April 2010 at 8:16pm | IP Logged

Regardless of original topic, many Esperanto threads on this forum seem to become little more than the pro/anti camps debating whether or not Esperanto has a "culture" or is "worth learning". I don't much care and I hope such posts can find a home in another thread.

What I DO want to discuss is original Esperanto literature. The most frequently cited reasons for learning this language are its ease, possible pedagogical value, interesting community, etc. However, MY motivation for learning a new language is its literature. So what's available, what's the best, what's the most popular, etc.?

I say specifically "original" because, while I have much respect for a good translation, my aim is to read works in their original language when possible. If I want to read Dostoyevsky I will do so either in Russian or my native English where I am more apt to appreciate the translation.

In another thread, Sprachprofi pointed me to the Concise Encyclopedia of the Original Literature of Esperanto which is clearly a great reference, but is actually TOO detailed for a beginner like me to pick from intelligently. As well as,

"Fajron sentas mi interne" by Ulrich Matthias
"La ŝtona urbo" by Anna Löwenstein
"La infana raso" by William Auld

Volte mentions:

"La danĝera lingvo" by Don Harlow
"Kulturo kaj internacia lingvo" by William Auld
and Tibor Sekelj generally.
(and the Encyclopedia above too).

So what else is on your bookselves Esperantists?
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remush
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Message 2 of 16

16 April 2010 at 10:46am | IP Logged

dmaddock1 wrote:

If I want to read Dostoyevsky I will do so either in Russian or my native English where I am more apt to appreciate the translation.

Strange. I am now learning Polish, and I find the Esperanto translations closer to the original. Translations in French or English are difficult to reconcile with the original.
If you are a beginner, you should find a translation of an English book you never cared reading. Don't take poems or novels. Start with something like "The Origin of Species" ("La Origino de Specioj").
After that you'll be ripe for appreciating original literature.

Remuŝ

Edited by remush on 16 April 2010 at 11:09am
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dmaddock1
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Message 3 of 16

16 April 2010 at 1:06pm | IP Logged

remush wrote:

After that you'll be ripe for appreciating original literature.

Thanks remush,

I'm sure that is true and if I decide to study Esperanto I probably will do that. However, I'm not convinced yet that I am going to put in the time. For me, the motivation is in knowing there is a large body of quality literature I am interested in reading. I'm hoping that can find or get a summary of what's out there so I can make an informed decision. I want to make sure I *will* appreciate it before getting to the point where I'm *capable* of appreciating it.

d.
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remush
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Message 4 of 16

16 April 2010 at 4:30pm | IP Logged

dmaddock1 wrote:

I want to make sure I *will* appreciate it before getting to the point where I'm *capable* of appreciating it.

In fact, what you want is a translation of original Esperanto literature to evaluate if it is worth reading the original.
Search for Tibor Sekelj. He was translated in many languages.
Find here at http://www.everk.it/phpwcms_filestorage/4/4_3.pdf a translation of "La infana Raso" de William Auld.
There is a lot to find in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto_literature if you care to read that, but I have the feeling that you are not really interested.
First learn Esperanto, then ask for help in Esperanto. I am sure you will then receive many answers.

Edited by remush on 16 April 2010 at 4:43pm
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dmaddock1
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Message 5 of 16

16 April 2010 at 5:05pm | IP Logged

remush wrote:

In fact, what you want is a translation of original Esperanto literature to evaluate if it is worth reading the original. Search for Tibor Sekelj.

Yes, that's a great idea! I did research Sekelj after coming across his name (mentioned in my first post). It looks like I would enjoy some of his work. I read somewhere that he is one of the best, most consistent selling authors (and doesn't appear on the Wikipedia article you cite). I have also heard about Auld because of his Nobel Prize nominations.

remush wrote:

There is a lot to find in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto_literature if you care to read that, but I am under the impression that you are not really interested.

Thanks, I have used Wikipedia (I would assume people already have checked Google and Wikipedia). I did try to show that I had done some research in my first post where I referenced other forum posts I had found. It also seems to me that I'm showing my interest in Esperanto literature by:

1. saying that I am considering learning Esperanto so I can read its literature
2. asking for suggestions about what to read

Actually, I didn't find a lot on Wikipedia. Sure, the above article has a laundry list of names, but most of those pages are stubs and often say little more than "this person was/is an Esperanto author". Nor does it help me to identify the "classics" and "bestsellers" of Esperanto literature.

remush wrote:

First learn Esperanto, then ask for help in Esperanto. I am sure you will then receive many answers.

I already said that I wanted to learn about Esperanto literature so I can decide if I want to learn the language. Why would I do that backwards? I am not asking for help in learning Esperanto. If you don't want to share any books or authors with me that I didn't already say I was researching, then that is fine.

I asked: "Hey, I like your language. What's your favorite stuff to read?"
and you responded: "Learn my language and then I'll tell you"

I'm not trying to offend anyone here. What did I say that made you think I was not interested or serious? I had intended to show the opposite.
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dmaddock1
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Message 6 of 16

16 April 2010 at 5:25pm | IP Logged

Here is a list I found supposedly compiled by Auld in 1988 and revised in 1997:

http://esperanto-usa.org/en/node/1289

It only lists fiction prose and poetry though.
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remush
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Message 7 of 16

16 April 2010 at 7:16pm | IP Logged

dmaddock1 wrote:

Actually, I didn't find a lot on Wikipedia. Sure, the above article has a laundry list of names, but most of those pages are stubs and often say little more than "this person was/is an Esperanto author". Nor does it help me to identify the "classics" and "bestsellers" of Esperanto literature.

Unfortunately, the information I have is in Esperanto.

See http://katalogo.uea.org/index.php?kateg=pror

legu pli means read more
recenzoj means review

I am glad to learn that my impression was wrong.

Note that some books are not easily translatable, like those of Raymond Schwarz.
Also Louis Beaucaire, writing in plain Esperanto, is not really translatable.
Try to read a few short stories of
http://www.esperanto.mv.ru/Kruko/index.html
and you will understand why. This is easy Esperanto. Do not skip the warning at the beginning. You could probably guess a lot if you have a vocabulary like http://remush.be/tezauro/@oftKontakto.html and master the prefixes and suffixes. After that you will be ready for more original work. There is a lot of playing with words in Esperanto.
Come back then.

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esperanto41
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Message 8 of 16

16 April 2010 at 7:17pm | IP Logged

"Literature"-with-a-capital-L is not of much interest to me, and the following title of a free online s-f book in both English and Esperanto may not qualify for this thread, since I wrote the original in English and then did the Esperanto translation myself -- quite a learning experience. But it might be relevant to newbies here, since I formatted it in HTML with adjoining columns in English, and Esperanto. The novel is a 33-chapter romantic comedy, The Me Clone / La Mi-Klono. http://www.genekeyes.com/MC-MK/MC-MK-U-Contents.html

And I did likewise for a few Christmas carols I translated, complete with simple melody score: http://www.genekeyes.com/Yuletide-Carols.html (Translating songs and poems is also a good learning exercise, when you strive to keep the rhythm, rhyme, syllables, and meaning all the same.)

I also posted the original 1887 pamphlet introducing Esperanto (English version): http://www.genekeyes.com/Dr_Esperanto.html Now there's a piece of literature concerning Esperanto -- even though it was first written in five other languages! (With some sample snippets of original and translated Esperanto.)

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