in an attempt to improve my French skills I would like to read a couple of books in French, preferrably 20th century classics and preferrably non-translated works. What would your best suggestions?
For reference, I like authors Jorge Luis Borges, Jean-Paul Sartre, Pär Lagerqvist, Haruki Murakami and Aleksandar Hemon.
Jean Moulin’s Premier Combat hasn’t been translated, is regarded as a non-fiction classic in France and is written in a plain, unadorned style that’s relatively easy to read. It’s his contemporary account of being the prefect in Chartres during the invasion in 1940, prior to him joining the resistance.
What’s your skill level? It may sound odd but you should consider breaking yourrself in with bandes desinees like Les Schtroumpfs (The Smurfs), Asterix, and Tintin. IIRC there are some quite subtle - and not-so-subtle - jokes. Reading newspapers is also good.
Les Schtroumps and Asterix are written for a younger audience. Tintin is a timeless classic, and the later stories might appeal to an older reader - let’s say from “Le Secret de la Licorne” on.
But after seeing the preferred reading list of the OP, I think that more “adult” comic strips would fit the bill better. By “adult” I don’t mean X-rated - many comic books (what you would call “graphic novels” in the USA) are written for older teenagers and/or young adults. I don’t follow the latest much anymore since I’ve lived in the USA, but a series like Le Combat Ordinaire might appeal to the OP (a photojournalist tries to decide what to do with his life.)
Not a bad suggestion really, but being European and grown up with comic books, I’ve already read them all (including Gaston and Spirou).
My skill level… Pas trop avancé. But I have a good understanding for languages overall and have spoken to french people a few times.
L’Etranger sounds like a good choice.
Well, the Smurfs are written for a younger audience (although they do contain a few jokes that I didn’t get until I got older), but I’d personally say that Asterix is actually more “adult” than Tintin. Asterix albums (especially the Goscinny-era ones) are accessible to children, but contain a large amount of social satire and cultural references that children just won’t get.
However, all of these are still a rather easy read, so I agree that they’re not quite what the OP is looking for.
Am I the only one who remembers that Saint-Exupery wrote books OTHER than just Le Petit Prince?
I found his other novels adult enough to be interesting but written with language straight-forward enough for my not-spectacular French. Titles like Vol de Nuit, Terrre des Hommes, and Courier Sud might be suitable for your needs.
Papillon, by Henri Charrière, can’t be called a classic, but it’s a ripping good read, and really not too difficult despite its length.
Chère voisine, by Christine Brouillet (Quebecker now living in Paris), isn’t a classic either, but a very well-structured thriller. Not tough to read at all and better-written than the average thriller.
If you’d like something that had the literary (and legal) world hopping, try Les Particules Élémentaires or Plateforme by Michel Houellebecq.
And of course, no discussion of French writing would be complete without mention of La vie sexuelle de Catherine M., French art critic Catherine Millet’s very frank discussion of her sex life.
God, I’m low-brow when it comes to French writing, but I assume you don’t need us to mention Molière, Hugo, Balzac, etc.