Para “letraheridos”, dilettanti, humble literature lovers and, why not, for bookworms, too. Learning a language requires a mixture of motivation, skill, necessity and personal interest. Now let’s focus on this passion, so very useful to keep up with your Spanish. Some of you may be avid, occasional or even promiscuous readers: best-sellers, intellectual stories, classics, sophisticated fiction…
The point is, whatever type of reader you might be, literature in Spanish offers you a wide range of amazing works.
Here are some suggestions to introduce yourself into or explore Spanish & South American fiction. They are worth a try, believe us. These relatively unknown works are translated into several languages, so, if you cannot read them in Spanish, you may still find a suitable version.
RARE CONTEMPORARY SPANISH NOVELS
Lies by Enrique de Hériz – A touching story about truth and lies in the life of an old wise woman, anthropologist and mother of three.
The Blind Sunflowers by Alberto Méndez – Four intertwining stories set in the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath. Poetic and breath-taking, it is an impressive example of our collective memory.
Cold Skin by Albert Sánchez Piñol – Spanish literature is mostly realistic, so this is a rare foray into fantasy. A mixture of Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Flies and horror literature, this most entertaining novel set in the Antarctic Circle explores our fears of the Other.
MICROFICTION LINKS
For those who like extreme Spanish. If you want to try an original version, here are some links where you will find short and micro-fiction. Quoting a famous Spanish maxim: “Good things, when short, are twice as good”. Now, even though most maxims could also be true the other way round, when it comes to language learning, the shorter, the better.
Cuentos de Literatura Latinoamericana
Novelas, cuentos, historias, textos breves… un plan estupendo para practicar español, ¿no?
TO WHET YOUR APPETITE… UN MICROCUENTO
Fantasma, inédito de Patricia Esteban Erlés
El hombre que amé se ha convertido en fantasma. Me gusta ponerle mucho suavizante, plancharlo al vapor y usarlo como sábana bajera las noches que tengo una cita prometedora.
(source: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2009/11/06/cultura/1257544457.html)
