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Books in Chinese? | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Books, Literature & Reading |  | |
| eoinda Tetraglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 5748 days ago 101 posts - 113 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, English, Spanish, Mandarin Studies: French | Message 1 of 6 28 April 2013 at 3:49pm | IP Logged |
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I've just started reading in Chinese and right now I'm mostly reading translated youth novels but I would like to try reading some autentic Chinese literature.
However, when I ask people for good novels in Chinese they either recommend some classical Chinese novels (way beyond my level), or they say something along the lines of: Read...? A book...? In Chinese...? I think you'd better watch some tv-series instead. XP So, I'm looking for modern Chinese novels of more or less any genre. The only requirement is that they shouldn't be overly difficult to read. (Also, they can't be forbidden on the mainland because that's where I live and where I'd have to buy said book.) Does anyone have any suggestions? Edited by eoinda on 28 April 2013 at 4:19pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| eggcluck Senior Member China Joined 4501 days ago 168 posts - 278 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Mandarin, Japanese | Message 2 of 6 28 April 2013 at 4:18pm | IP Logged |
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I came across a book called 神奇树屋 It is quite readable and is a dual language book. I also got things like treasure island and Sherlock holmes as dual texts again aimed at the English learner.
These may not be what you are after though. I have also found popular newspapers tend to be easier to read than actual books (even the children's books) and you can find them everywhere. I even take menus home to study and keep all the junk leaflets I come across. Some of those classic novels also have a much simpler comic book form. All squished down into pictures with a few lines here and there. That might be an idea to break you into the classics as when you read the adult version the comic book should have at least helped you figure out what is going on. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| eoinda Tetraglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 5748 days ago 101 posts - 113 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, Spanish, Mandarin Studies: French | Message 3 of 6 28 April 2013 at 4:59pm | IP Logged |
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I'll look into the 神奇树屋 .
Newspapers are also really good but I'm already reading those. Right now I feel ready to take the leap into the world of Chinese literature, though not quite ready to tackle the classics. China is huge there must be some kind of adult literature?! Crime fiction? Also from what I can see on TV here something similar to harlequin ought to sell here, or perhaps something matial artsy (although that might be a bit hard, but I could give it a try)? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Medulin Tetraglot Senior Member Croatia Joined 4468 days ago 1199 posts - 2192 votes Speaks: Croatian*, English, Spanish, Portuguese Studies: Norwegian, Hindi, Nepali | Message 4 of 6 28 April 2013 at 10:19pm | IP Logged |
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As with any other language, translated books may be easier, for example The little prince, books by Paulo Coelho...
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| lichtrausch Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 5760 days ago 525 posts - 1072 votes Speaks: English*, German, Japanese Studies: Korean, Mandarin | Message 5 of 6 29 April 2013 at 3:07am | IP Logged |
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Here are some Chinese books on my to-read list. Maybe there's something that interests
you. They are all novels except for 中国梦, which is about China's plan to become the number one power in East Asia. 2066年之西行漫记 is science fiction. Mo Yan just won the Nobel Prize, in case you missed it. Chan, Koonchung - 盛世：中国2013年 Han, Song - 2066年之西行漫记 Jiang, Rong - 狼图腾 Liu, Ming Fu - 中国梦 Mo, Yan - 生死疲劳 Mo, Yan - 红高粱 Su, Tong - 河岸 Yan, Lianke - 丁庄梦 Yan, Lianke - 受活 Yu, Hua - 兄弟 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| lorinth Tetraglot Senior Member Belgium Joined 4074 days ago 443 posts - 581 votes Speaks: French*, English, Spanish, Latin Studies: Mandarin, Finnish | Message 6 of 6 29 April 2013 at 12:13pm | IP Logged |
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Hello,
My first "real" Chinese book, which I've read last year, was 余华's 《许三观卖血记》. It is relatively easy, that is, for a Chinese novel written for Chinese-speaking people :-) After that, I've read 余华's 《活着》.Yu Hua has a reputation for using a fairly simple vocabulary and a straightforward style. His novels are often set in the times of the cultural revolution. IMHO they are moving and often funny, but some people think they are too harsh. I have also read 《圈子圈套》by 王强, an enthralling novel about modern life in Chinese/international businesses. There are 3 parts and I've only read part I. Also: 《天下无贼》, a novella by 赵本夫 is very good and "doable" for someone who starts reading real literature. I've just finished Wang Xiaobo's 黄金时代, also set in the Cultural revolution era. I thought it was significantly harder, but your mileage may vary. All those books are available online if you can't buy them on paper. Edited by lorinth on 29 April 2013 at 12:14pm 1 person has voted this message useful |
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