World, Writing, Wealth discussion

Yeah, it's a pretty rare thing, since writing usually requires a very good command of the lingo. Yet, it's not non-existent. Nabokov, for whom English was the second language, with his Lolita is probably one of those rare examples.
Do you know of any others in any language?

How can you forget Tolstoy?

Got me thinking about this topic more than others...adding Jules Verne to the list.

Then again, these are examples of authors getting fame outside their own countries...is this the focus of the thread, or are we specifically discussing authors writing in their second language rather than gaining attention through the translations?

Yeah, translated there are many, but authors actually writing in a 2-nd for them language are fewer.

conrad- english was his third language (!), i believe.

Mike wrote: "conrad- english was his third language (!), i believe."
Such an interesting question.

Oh yes, Conrad is defnitely top of this list.

Eva Hoffman, also Polish, came to mind too! It's a little ironic that her best known book is Lost In Translation given that it's not, in fact a translation, she wrote it in English.

Jack Kerouac was raised French-speaking, I believe, and didn't speak English until he was a teenager. And that then reminds me of Samuel Beckett who was Irish but wrote in French, and then translated his own novels back to English. And of course, a great deal of African literature. Chinua Achebe for instance.

There's probably a ton more who didn't write in English, but wrote in French or German actually. Milan Kundera I think?

Re Nabokov, I find it also fascinating that writing was essentially a sideline for him - it wasn't his actual career, anymore than English was his first language!

It occurs to me most of these authors are what one would call "literary". I wonder if the proficient multi-lingualism is a
consequence of a somewhat literary turn of mind.

I envy anyone who can write novels and learn second and third languages. I tried for a while to do both simultaneously, and eventually realized that I was accomplishing neither.

Writing was, in a way, a sideline for Conrad also- maybe sideline is the wrong word, but he didn't start publishing until his late 30s. He spent most of his early 20s and 30s at sea, and I believe that's how he learned French and English as well.

Not technically sure if she counts since she's technically a manga artist and not a strict author, but Naoko Takeuchi had a Masters in French and thus spoke French and Japanese fluently. The language constantly crops up in her works, including her world-famous Sailor Moon.

Hannu Rajaniemi writes in Finnish and English. I love his writing. The Quantum Thief

Any more examples?

I am sure that there are plenty more writers who write in a second language. However, the hard part is often about becoming 'famous'.

I'm pretty sure that English is my second language, but none of my books are famous.

Graeme wrote: "I'm pretty sure that English is my second language, but none of my books are famous."

What is your first language then, Graeme?

Farm boy.

Oh, you were a rancharoo?

Dairy farmer's son.

I find there are certain ways in which I trip up on English, and sometimes - it really does feel like it's a foreign language.

I have a friend I correspond with in Australia and he once sent me a list of Aussie speach. I am not sure that an American would understand an Australian from the Outback if the latter went full native on him.

In my youth, I worked in a factory and a guy fresh out of Scotland arrived and I could hardly understand him for a day and a half, and then suddenly I could - it was like a light bulb going on, suddenly I got his accent.

But you're right - the accent can be extreme.

Do you feel comfy enough with any other language to write/read in it?

I could read a children's book, write simplistic sentences and get by speaking in French but I do find it difficult to understand the natives when they speak quickly.

I've huge admiration for people like Nik and Miss who are genuinely multilingual.

Well Ayn Rand was Russian - even after she learned English she spoke with a heavy accent. Her command of English was very proficient, but a lot of her dialogue sounded stilted as if she hadn't mastered the way people converse.
I think Yann Martel (Life of Pi) who was raised in Canada bilingual (French and English) but his primary language was French
I think Oscar Wilde wrote his play Salome in French originally. Of course in his day, most educated English gentlemen also spoke French, often Latin and German too.

American English is my native language. I do read some British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand versions of English. :-)
Seriously, I don't have language skills. I have asked the chef friend how he deals with it in his brain, which was interesting to me. Mostly, I asked because I have a 6 year old grandchild whose home life is all English (no other language by any family members), but she has been in a Spanish Immersion school (and Spanish run daycare since she was 12 weeks old). She stopped be willing to tell us the Spanish words for things since age 5, because we don't speak it.

She has been raised as bilingual as possible in a non-bilingual household. All of her education, books, teachers, tests, and homework is in Spanish. The other night she sat here listing to youtube videos teaching herself Japanese words because it interested her. I hope she continues that way.

Also Samuel Beckett - he opted to write in French instead of his native English