Translingualism

Description
Books by authors who write in more than one language or in a language other than their primary or childhood one. Also books about the phenomenon of translingualism/exophony (why do writers "switch" languages...). Please limit this to one representative title per author.
1
Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts
by Samuel Beckett
14,611 members
189 reviews
3.9
4 Members
Dilara86, spiphany, ahef1963, mspixieears
Explanations
mspixieears: originally written in French while author was living there
2
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
58,040 members
1,375 reviews
4.2
2 Members
spiphany, ahef1963
3
On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
30,664 members
424 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
spiphany, mspixieears
Explanations
spiphany: Kerouac was of Québécois background and wrote several novellas in French (including an early version of On the Road) before turning to English in his later work
4
Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
26,344 members
431 reviews
½ 3.6
2 Members
ahef1963, mspixieears
5
Night
by Elie Wiesel
12,925 members
240 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
spiphany, ahef1963
Explanations
spiphany: An early version of "Night" was published in Yiddish; Wiesel later wrote a shorter version in French.
6
Pale Fire
by Vladimir Nabokov
9,011 members
157 reviews
4.2
2 Members
Dilara86, spiphany
7
Slowness
by Milan Kundera
2,479 members
32 reviews
½ 3.5
2 Members
Dilara86, spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: This is the first of Kundera's novels written in French; his previous works were in Czech
8
Dreams Of My Russian Summers: A Novel
by Andreï Makine
1,670 members
33 reviews
3.8
2 Members
Dilara86, spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Russian-born Makine at first had to pretend that his French novels had been based on Russian manuscripts because the publishers didn't believe that he could have composed them in French
9
Wizard of the Crow
by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o
1,053 members
20 reviews
½ 4.3
2 Members
Dilara86, spiphany
Explanations
Dilara86: Translated from Kikuyu into English by the author
10
Down with the Poor!
by Shumona Sinha
55 members
3 reviews
½ 3.3
2 Members
Dilara86, spiphany
Explanations
Dilara86: Indian author who writes in French
11
Das geraubte Kind
by Galsan Tschinag
15 members
4
2 Members
Dilara86, spiphany
Explanations
Dilara86: Ethnic Tuvan Mongolian author who writes in German.
12
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel
by Dai Sijie
7,484 members
245 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
13
The Kindly Ones
by Jonathan Littell
3,268 members
105 reviews
3.9
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: American and French author. His first novel, Bad Voltage, was written in English; Les Bienveillantes (The Kindly Ones) in French
14
Seven Gothic Tales
by Isak Dinesen
2,654 members
35 reviews
3.9
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Danish writer who lived in Kenya for nearly two decades. She wrote in English and self-translated into Danish.
15
Leo the African
by Amin Maalouf
1,798 members
39 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
16
Salomé
by Oscar Wilde
1,775 members
31 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Although Wilde was an Anglo-Irish writer and published almost exclusively in English, he chose to write "Salomé" in French.
17
The Manuscript Found in Saragossa
by Jan Potocki
1,764 members
34 reviews
4.1
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Potocki was a Polish nobleman; he was educated in Geneva and travelled extensively around Europe and Asia. He wrote in French.
18
Lost Children Archive
by Valeria Luiselli
1,508 members
73 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Mexican writer living in the US. This is her fifth novel and the first written in English.
19
Vathek
by William Beckford
1,489 members
48 reviews
3.1
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Written in French, although Beckford generally wrote in English
20
Death of a Red Heroine
by Qiu Xiaolong
1,407 members
73 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
21
The House of the Mosque
by Kader Abdolah
1,390 members
55 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
22
The Story of My Life
by Giacomo Girolamo Casanova
1,252 members
14 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
23
A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers
by Xiaolu Guo
1,113 members
69 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Raised in China and wrote several novels in Chinese. Now based mostly in London. This was her first novel written in English.
24
The Poor Mouth
by Flann O'Brien
1,095 members
22 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Brian O'Nolan used the pseudonym Myles na gCopaleen when writing in Irish and Flann O'Brien when writing in English. "The Poor Mouth" is his only novel in Irish.
25
Ru
by Kim Thúy
1,022 members
63 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
26
The Mountains Sing
by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
1,001 members
60 reviews
4.1
Member
spiphany
27
In Other Words
by Jhumpa Lahiri
881 members
49 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: US writer of Bengali heritage. Author of several works in English, moved to Rome as an adult, learned Italian, and wrote this novel in that language.
28
Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language
by Eva Hoffman
768 members
13 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
29
Floating in My Mother's Palm
by Ursula Hegi
751 members
21 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Native language German; came to the US at 18, publications have been exclusively in English
30
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories
by Yiyun Li
734 members
27 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
31
Outsider in Amsterdam
by Janwillem van de Wetering
702 members
23 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Wrote in Dutch and self-translated/rewrote in English.
32
Memory of Water
by Emmi Itäranta
694 members
52 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Finnish writer living in the UK. She wrote each of her novels in both a Finnish and an English version.
33
The Notebook
by Ágota Kristóf
657 members
24 reviews
4.2
Member
spiphany
34
Nowhere Man: The Pronek Fantasies
by Aleksandar Hemon
651 members
19 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
35
The Dream Life of Sukhanov
by Olga Grushin
641 members
32 reviews
3.9
Member
spiphany
36
The Patience Stone
by Atiq Rahimi
636 members
41 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Afghan writer now living in France. Several early works in Dari. This is his first work written in French
37
Deaf Republic
by Ilya Kaminsky
601 members
13 reviews
½ 4.4
Member
spiphany
38
How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone
by Saša Stanišić
548 members
21 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
39
The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning
by Hallgrimur Helgason
438 members
27 reviews
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Icelandic author of several novels in his native tongue. This novel was written in English.
40
Damascus Nights
by Rafik Schami
409 members
9 reviews
4.1
Member
spiphany
41
The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine
by Alina Bronsky
400 members
31 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
Dilara86
Explanations
Dilara86: Author of Russian origin who moved to Germany as a teenager. She writes in German.
42
Arrival and Departure
by Arthur Koestler
400 members
6 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
43
Rules of the Wild: A Novel of Africa
by Francesca Marciano
346 members
12 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
44
On a Red Station, Drifting
by Aliette de Bodard
344 members
36 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
Dilara86
Explanations
Dilara86: French author who writes in English
45
Lady L
by Romain Gary
215 members
2 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Wrote in French and sometimes in English, and self-translated several of his novels. Neither language was his mother tongue.
46
There Are Jews in My House
by Lara Vapnyar
207 members
5 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
47
The King David Report
by Stefan Heym
206 members
3 reviews
3.9
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Switched back and forth between his native German and English several times, depending on where he was living at the time.
48
Looking on Darkness
by André Brink
204 members
3 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
49
The Complete French Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke
by Rainer Maria Rilke
196 members
4.1
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Although German was Rilke's primary language, he wrote about 400 poems in French (as well as a handful in Russian)
50
Cry, Mother Spain
by Lydie Salvayre
186 members
11 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
Dilara86
Explanations
Dilara86: Written in a mixture of French and Spanish.
51
The Trick
by Emanuel Bergmann
178 members
11 reviews
4.1
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Author wrote first draft in English, then rewrote in German, then translated it back into English.
52
Twilight in Delhi
by Ahmed Ali
176 members
6 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
53
The horse of pride : life in a Breton village
by Pierre-Jakez Helias
175 members
3 reviews
3.8
Member
Dilara86
Explanations
Dilara86: The author wrote The Horse of Pride in Breton, then translated it into French himself.
54
The Saint of Incipient Insanities
by Elif Shafak
166 members
3 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
55
Angel of Oblivion
by Maja Haderlap
152 members
8 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Writes in Slovenian and German
56
The Genius of Language: Fifteen Writers Reflect on Their Mother Tongue
by Wendy Lesser
148 members
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
57
The Hostage
by Brendan Behan
145 members
2 reviews
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: "The Hostage" was written in Irish; the author also wrote an English adaptation. Behan's other works are in English.
58
The Appointment
by Katharina Volckmer
137 members
8 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
59
The Face on the Cutting-Room Floor
by Cameron McCabe
132 members
2 reviews
3
Member
spiphany
60
Sworn Virgin
by Elvira Dones
130 members
5 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Writes in Albanian and Italian
61
Every Day, Every Hour: A Novel
by Natasa Dragnic
113 members
10 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
62
The Bridge of the Golden Horn
by Emine Sevgi Özdamar
110 members
3 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
63
Ada's Room
by Sharon Dodua Otoo
109 members
4 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
64
A Change of Tongue
by Antjie Krog
90 members
3.9
Member
spiphany
65
On Borrowed Words: A Memoir of Language
by Ilan Stavans
87 members
2 reviews
3.1
Member
spiphany
66
Ingratitude
by Ying Chen
76 members
2 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
67
The Goldberg Variations
by Nancy Huston
66 members
1 review
½ 3.6
Member
spiphany
68
Cranes at Dusk
by Hisako Matsubara
66 members
2 reviews
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Born and raised in Japan, came to Germany as an adult. Writes mostly in German.
69
Two Murders in My Double Life
by Josef Škvorecký
64 members
2 reviews
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
70
Engelszungen
by Dimitré Dinev
53 members
1 review
3.9
Member
spiphany
71
Änderungsschneiderei Los Milagros
by María Cecilia Barbetta
50 members
2 reviews
2.8
Member
spiphany
72
Juja
by Nino Haratischwili
49 members
3 reviews
½ 3.4
Member
spiphany
73
The Alp
by Arno Camenisch
49 members
1 review
½ 3.3
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Swiss author. He has published mostly in German, sometimes in Swiss dialect. "Sez Ner" was written in Romansh and German.
74
Foreign Words
by Vassilis Alexakis
48 members
2 reviews
3.8
Member
spiphany
75
The palimpsests
by Aleksandra Lun
47 members
3 reviews
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
76
Nagori : la nostalgie de la saison qui vient de nous quitter
by Ryoko Sekiguchi
47 members
4 reviews
½ 3.6
Member
Dilara86
Explanations
Dilara86: Japanese author - writes in French
77
Disputa de l'ase
by Anselm Turmeda
46 members
2 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Medieval author who wrote in both Arabic and Catalan
78
Magda
by Meike Ziervogel
46 members
2 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Grew up in Germany, now lives in London and writes in English
79
Dúil
by Liam Ó Flaithearta
37 members
4.2
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Wrote primarily in English, with the exception of this book, which was written in Irish.
80
Une langue venue d'ailleurs
by Akira Mizubayashi
36 members
2 reviews
4
Member
spiphany
81
L'enfant de poussière
by Patrick K. Dewdney
32 members
3.8
Member
Dilara86
82
The Village Indian
by Abbas Khider
32 members
3.1
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Fled Iraq due to political activities; now a German citizen who writes in German.
83
Counting My Steps
by Jakov Lind
27 members
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
84
A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard: A Novel in Three Parts
by Hideo Levy
27 members
1 review
2.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: American-born, educated in Taiwan and Japan as well as the US. Has written several novels in Japanese.
85
Das Kamel mit dem Nasenring
by Salim Alafenisch
24 members
3.8
Member
spiphany
86
Collected Body
by Valzhyna Mort
23 members
5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Poet who writes in Belarusian and English
87
Child-and-Rose
by Gennady Aigi
23 members
3.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: First poems written in Chuvash, later switched to Russian; also published translations into Chuvash
88
In Case of Fire in a Foreign Land: New and Collected Poems from Two Languages
by Ariel Dorfman
22 members
5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Argentinian/Chilean/American. Writes in both Spanish and English.
89
Luft und Liebe
by Anne Weber
22 members
3.2
Member
spiphany
90
Überseezungen
by Yōko Tawada
20 members
½ 4.3
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Japanese-born author who came to Germany as an adult. She continues to write in both German and Japanese
91
Le langage et son double
by Julien Green
20 members
1 review
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
92
Black Sky, Black Sea
by Izzet Celasin
19 members
3.8
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Turkish, came to Norway as a political refugee as an adult; author of one novel, written in Norwegian
93
Dagny or a Love Feast
by Zurab Karumidze
18 members
½ 3.5
Member
spiphany
94
Land Without Thunder
by Grace Ogot
18 members
3
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Wrote in Luo and English
96
To the Spring, by Night
by Seyhmus Dagtekin
15 members
½ 4.5
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Writes mostly in French, but also in Turkish and Kurdish
97
Broken German: Roman
by Tomer Gardi
14 members
3.8
Member
spiphany
98
Elefanten im Garten
by Meral Kureyshi
12 members
½ 4.5
Member
spiphany
99
Sogar Papageien überleben uns: Roman
by Olga Martynova
12 members
1 review
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
100
Superheldinnen
by Barbi Markovic
11 members
1 review
½ 3.7
Member
spiphany
Explanations
spiphany: Serbian-born author who immigrated to Austria. Novel was written partly in German and partly in Serbian.