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Hidden jewels from your own country?

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  • #1

    Hidden jewels from your own country?

    All right. I'd like people to suggest literary jewels from their own country that are likely to be unknown by the normal foreigner but still available as a translation (as far as I am concerned, I can read French and English).

    I'm looking forward to diversify my culture, so I really intend to read the most interesting suggestions. No over garrisoning to prevent culture flips, however. Please.

    No such thread would be complete without shameful self-nationalist promotion. So I'll proceed with the Quebecois (French-Canadian) jewels that are likely to be unknown. Because who has ever cared about French-Canadian literature anyway?

    "Prochain épisode" (Next Episode) by Hubert Aquin.

    This one is the deconstructed masterpiece from our literature. Complex and rewarding reading.

    "Poems" by Émile Nelligan. Translated in many languages.

    Nelligan is Quebec's CharlesBHoff. A precocious talent, he fell into schizophrenia at age 21. His works borrow from the romantic and symbolic literary traditions. (Think of him as Baudelaire meets Poe).

    Les Belles-Soeurs (the Stepsisters?) by Michel Tremblay.

    Very simple yet humane and moving play about poor workers in industrial Montreal. This one is probably the most widely known piece of Quebecois literature (which is not too much...)

    "The little girl who was too found of matches" by Gaétan Soucy. (Original title: "La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes").

    Notwithstanding that Gaétan is such an ugly name, this one of Quebec's best contemporary novels. It may be hard to find but it's worth the reading.

    Your turn now. Be prolific, I don't want this thread to die in 43 minutes.
    In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.
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  • #2
    can i ask something without wanting to offend or anything.

    It'd be nice to try to read a french book again for all the practice too and whatnot but say i stumble upon some of your suggestions. Are canadian french grammar etc the same as the french one? because my friend the way you speak it will make even a terminally ill person wet his pants with laughter (just joking )

    seriously though, out of interest are canadian french written the same way as french?

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    • #3
      Originally posted by paiktis22
      can i ask something without wanting to offend or anything.

      It'd be nice to try to read a french book again for all the practice too and whatnot but say i stumble upon some of your suggestions. Are canadian french grammar etc the same as the french one? because my friend the way you speak it will make even a terminally ill person wet his pants with laughter (just joking )

      seriously though, out of interest are canadian french written the same way as french?
      Is my accent that bad?

      Seriously, Canadian French in its written form is just the same as 'True' French. You might get a few difficulties here and there, but nothing the dictionary can't solve 90% of the time.
      If you are affraid anyway, don't read the play, though, because there is some slang in it. And Aquin uses very complex sentences, so you might want to avoid him if you are unsure of your skills. Nelligan and Soucy would be the better options.

      In all cases, they are also available in English.

      And BTW, where are YOUR suggestions? Are you from Greece or something?
      In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.

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      • #4
        well to clarify: in order to read a french book, I'll have to be checking the dictionary sometimes. I hate having unknown words. This is work. I don't mind it, I'd be happy to do it but only if I'm learning "correct french" so to speak. If I'm going to learn a diffrent kind of french that's going to be "incorrect" I'd rather look for a translated version of any of these books if they ever fell to my hands. I know this sucks but that's the way I feel about it

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        • #5
          oooops cross post. OK thanks for the answer
          I have lots of suggestions about some great greek books Ive read recently by some authors i really like but I dont know wether they're translated in english... there are many of them translated in german though it would seem at least by one such author. But I'd have to search for them. will do when I'm a bit less tired

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          • #6
            William S. Burroughs - The Western Lands
            "mono has crazy flow and can rhyme words that shouldn't, like Eminem"
            Drake Tungsten
            "get contacts, get a haircut, get better clothes, and lose some weight"
            Albert Speer

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            • #7
              French Canadians have a very similar written language with original French. The main differences are
              - the way they swear (IIUC, they don't use swear nouns like "merde", but only use swear adverbs similar to "putain de" - but in their case, it is "criss")
              - some expressions are literal translations of English / American ones, and would not be understood by a Frenchman.
              - there are a few only-Québecois words no Frenchman can understand.
              "I have been reading up on the universe and have come to the conclusion that the universe is a good thing." -- Dissident
              "I never had the need to have a boner." -- Dissident
              "I have never cut off my penis when I was upset over a girl." -- Dis

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Spiffor
                French Canadians have a very similar written language with original French. The main differences are
                - the way they swear (IIUC, they don't use swear nouns like "merde", but only use swear adverbs similar to "putain de" - but in their case, it is "criss")
                - some expressions are literal translations of English / American ones, and would not be understood by a Frenchman.
                - there are a few only-Québecois words no Frenchman can understand.


                I could discourse for ages about proper québécois swearing. Just remember, the spelling is "crisse". And BTW, you can surely share some unknown French author with me? In my case, translation does not matter.
                In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.

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                • #9
                  I guess it'd be hard to name a 'hidden jewel' from the US. Most of the authors/books I'd suggest are probably well known .
                  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
                  - John 13:34-35 (NRSV)

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Spiffor
                    French Canadians have a very similar written language with original French. The main differences are
                    - the way they swear (IIUC, they don't use swear nouns like "merde", but only use swear adverbs similar to "putain de" - but in their case, it is "criss")
                    - some expressions are literal translations of English / American ones, and would not be understood by a Frenchman.
                    - there are a few only-Québecois words no Frenchman can understand.
                    For instance, they had to invent a word for moose (I'm not making this up). In France there is no word for moose (or rather, it's also the word for some other animal).

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                    • #11
                      There are several science fiction and fantasy authors who predate the 1980's who have been largely forgotten.

                      Thomas Burnett Swann - numerous books, his earliest works were the best, the later ones ranged from solid to excellent. "Wolf Winter" is a classic, and a modern fantasy author Charles de Lint actually pays tribute to it.

                      Frederic Brown - the master of the bizarre, short tale. Sometimes you can find "Honeymoon in Hell", one of his short story collections. There's nobody better, in English.

                      Eric Frank Russel - he wrote universal SF satire, that remains timely. "Wasp" is a hilarious send-up of beauracracies and totalitarian states. If you can find it, the old Ace Double "The Space Willies/Six Worlds Yonder" is great, and contains the gem of diabologic.

                      http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=405http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=405

                      Here's an online reprint of one of his short stories.
                      http://www.abelard.org/e-f-russell.htm

                      Enjoy.
                      The worst form of insubordination is being right - Keith D., marine veteran. A dictator will starve to the last civilian - self-quoted
                      And on the eigth day, God realized it was Monday, and created caffeine. And behold, it was very good. - self-quoted
                      Klaatu: I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it.
                      Mr. Harley: I'm afraid my people haven't. I'm very sorry… I wish it were otherwise.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by skywalker


                        For instance, they had to invent a word for moose (I'm not making this up). In France there is no word for moose (or rather, it's also the word for some other animal).
                        True. A moose is an 'orignal', but the French have no such word. They call it 'élan'. Pffff...
                        In Soviet Russia, Fake borises YOU.

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