WeBuzz
Reader discussion: Eline Vere
Public reader discussion about Eline Vere in the WeRead Catalog by Louis Couperus.
Is there a list of must read Dutch classic books?
By nebulatower
I feel like pretty much every country has this go-to set of “classics” you’re supposed to have read at some point, like in the US it’s stuff like *The Great Gatsby*, in Russia *Lolita*, in China *The Dream of the Red Chamber*. But with the Netherlands… do we actually have that kind of official list?
If we do, what would even count as must-read Dutch literature? I’d guess *Max Havelaar* has to be on there, but I’m totally blank after that. And in high school I don’t really remember any really strict reading list either.
So yeah, I’m curious—what do you all recommend as Dutch classical literature?
Books taking place in the Netherlands
By RedBright
I’ve been looking at Sweet Reads Boxes way too much, and now I really want to put together a book care package for my brother’s birthday. We’re Dutch, so I’d love to get him a really good book that somehow connects to the Netherlands—like it’s set there, or written by someone Dutch, or just involves the country in some way. And then I’ll toss in stroopwafels, vlokken, and speculaas too!
The only ones I already have in mind are:
- The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)
- The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
Any suggestions?
What Are Some Great Dutch Books?
By plain_window7900
This is kind of depressing to think about, but I realized that since I’m US-born (Dutch-speaking family though), once my parents are gone I’ll basically have nobody to talk Dutch with. My sister even admits her Dutch isn’t great.
They’re pretty old, so it feels like a real possibility.
I’ve been trying to keep up by watching some Dutch TV and movies, but I’m also curious if there are any Dutch books people think are really worth reading. My level is probably okay—I can read Toon Tellegen poetry as a kind of “relaxing” reading—but I definitely don’t know if I could handle something like Dostoevsky in Dutch without a dictionary.