Ten novels to read in translation this European Day of Languages
26th September 2018
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Today is European Day of Languages, a day where we celebrate the wide variety of languages spoken on our continent, which is much needed given that we tend to focus on English as the be all and end all.
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For our part in celebrating the beautiful diversity of languages spoken in Europe, we at TNS have decided to share the best known books that were originally written in another language and then translated into English. If you're feeling bold this European Languages Day and are wanting to learn a new language, maybe try one of these in their original forms:
1. War and Peace-Leo Tolstoy-Russian (Original title: Voyná i mir)
It takes a brave person to attempt Tolstoy's massive tome, considering that it's over a thousand pages in length but an even braver person to attempt reading the book in its original Russian (with some French).
2. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo-Stieg Larsson-Swedish (Original title: Män som hatar kvinnor)
Yup before it was a film with Daniel Craig, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was a book and since the setting is Swedish and the author is Swedish, it should come as no surprise, that book itself was originally written in yup, Swedish!
3. The Little Prince-Antoine de Saint Exupery-French (Original title: Le Petit Prince)
This famous French allegory is the most translated book in the French language.
4. The Shadow of The Wind-Carlos Ruiz Zafon-Spanish (Original title: La sombra del viento)

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