Good books to read in translation

[kandwo]

I'm looking for good books to read in translation. My goal is to practice and improve my different languages by reading.

What I'm looking for falls into two categories, as far as I can see:

1. Books with really good translations. Many classics fall into this category, seeing as they tend to get translated by the best in the field. Some other popular books, such as the Harry Potter series, could also be mentioned here. These books could have good/creative prose, which is done justice in translation due to the knowledge and effort of the translator.

2. Books with simple/bad prose. It could be anything from literary works written in a simple style to something bland like Brandon Sanderson (who himself claims to keep the prose as simple as possible) to badly written works such as Twilight, 50 Shades of Gray, etc. These tend to inevitably improve in translation.

I would be happy to hear your thoughts!

The most likely candidates would probably be relatively popular works since they are more often translated in general.

If you have any experience with reading a specific translation or particular translator that would also be very welcome.

Personally, I'm mostly interested in reading in major European languages, but don't hesitate to mention translations in other ones, too

[nana77]

I might suggest this one: https://brooklynrail.org/2022/02/boo...angers-I-Know/
I didn't read the english version, but it seems to differ a little from the original one, so comparing them would be a nice plus (imho).

[Maxbet]

One book I'd suggest is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It's short, available in many languages, and the writing is relatively accessible without being simplistic.
What's particularly interesting is how different translators handle some of its more poetic passages.
Animal Farm by George Orwell might also be a good choice if you're looking for something with fairly straightforward prose.
Are there any particular languages you're focusing on right now?

[DJUNGELSKOG]

Dungeon Crawler Carl should do the trick!

[hildea]

You could also look for books which have been translated to English, and read them in their original language. I've been trying to pick up my German, and decided that children's books which I'd already read in translation would be a good starting point.
...And then found that Ende's Die Unendliche Geschichte has a really advanced vocabulary, and Spyri's Heidi was also surprisingly difficult to get into, because the language is oldfashioned. The most promising I've found is Remarque's Im Westen Nichts Neues (at least until I misplaced the book...)

[kandwo]

Originally Posted by hildea

You could also look for books which have been translated to English, and read them in their original language. I've been trying to pick up my German, and decided that children's books which I'd already read in translation would be a good starting point.
...And then found that Ende's Die Unendliche Geschichte has a really advanced vocabulary, and Spyri's Heidi was also surprisingly difficult to get into, because the language is oldfashioned. The most promising I've found is Remarque's Im Westen Nichts Neues (at least until I misplaced the book...)

Erich Kästner seems to be one of the most popular for that. His language is not too difficult from what, admittedly little, I've seen.

For YA many have recommended the Tintenwelt series and Kerstin Gier.

In German I've only read most of the Andre Klein books. Graded reader stories that gradually get harder.