Original Literature
Esperanto Reading 1
Chapter 9 · The Original Literature
📖 The Original Literature — La originala literaturo
Esperanto is more than a language for travellers and meetings. People have been writing poems, novels and plays in it for well over a century. This chapter is a map: where the literature began, who the main writers are and how to find their books. It quotes no modern authors, only gives their titles, so it gives you names to look for and a short text of its own to read.
How it began
- Zamenhof's start. The language's creator translated poetry and prose into Esperanto while he was developing it, as a test of whether it could express everything. He published several translations and a short original poem as an appendix to his first book, the Unua Libro (1887).
- Early novelists. Henri Vallienne was the first to write novels in Esperanto. The first woman to publish a novel in it was Edith Alleyne Sinnotte, with Lilio (1918).
- The first two decades. Apart from a handful of poems, the literature of those years is now seen mainly as historical.
- Between the world wars. A group of writers produced the first work of outstanding quality in the young language. They include Julio Baghy, Eŭgeno Miĥalski, Kálmán Kalocsay, Heinrich Luyken and Jean Forge.
- Modern authors. Among them Claude Piron and William Auld, with Sten Johansson, Trevor Steele, Marjorie Boulton and many others.
Some writers to know
| Writer | Who | Works to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Kálmán Kalocsay | Hungarian poet, translator and editor (1891–1976), also a surgeon; strongly shaped Esperanto culture | Mondo kaj Koro (1921, "World and Heart"); Streĉita Kordo ("A Taut String"); Rimportretoj ("Portraits in Rhyme") |
| Julio Baghy | Hungarian actor (1891–1967); wrote novels, and is noted especially for poetry | novels and poems; check a bibliography for titles |
| William Auld | British poet (1924–2006), raised and educated in Glasgow, a teacher who lived in Alloa; the first person nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature for work in Esperanto (1999, 2004, 2006) | La infana raso ("The Infant Race", 1956), his masterpiece |
| Marjorie Boulton | British author and poet (1924–2017), writing in both English and Esperanto | Rimleteroj (with Auld, 1976) |
| Claude Piron | Swiss psychologist, translator and writer; a prolific Esperanto author who spoke it from childhood | Gerda malaperis! ("Gerda Has Disappeared!", 1983), a novella often used in language courses |
William Auld is of particular interest to a learner in Scotland. His personal collection of nearly 5,000 books in and about Esperanto was donated in 2001 to the National Library of Scotland, where it is housed. He is buried at Dollar.
A reading ladder
This is a suggestion from this course, not from a source: it follows the order in which the texts in this course became harder.
| Step | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A graded novella such as Gerda malaperis! | Plain vocabulary, a story that pulls you on, and widely used in courses. |
| 2 | Short stories and articles in magazines such as Monato | Real prose on varied topics, in short pieces. |
| 3 | Poems of Zamenhof, then Kalocsay | You have already read two of Zamenhof's poems (Chapters 6 and 8). |
| 4 | Longer poems such as La infana raso | The hardest: long, dense and full of invented compounds. |
Where to find the books
- UEA book service. The Universal Esperanto Association's book service lists around 4,000 books, according to a summary of the literature.
- Free online. Esperanto Wikisource (Vikifontaro) has older texts, such as the poems and proverbs in Chapters 6 to 8. Project Gutenberg has writings in Esperanto, and Faded Page (Canada) has Esperanto books.
- Magazines. Literatura Foiro and Beletra Almanako are literary magazines; Monato is a news magazine that also publishes some fiction.
- A guide. Geoffrey Sutton's Concise Encyclopedia of the Original Literature of Esperanto is described as the most comprehensive guide to the field.
📖 A Short Text — Mallonga teksto
Here is a short text written for this course about the same material. Try to read it without the list first:
La esperanta literaturo
| Esperanto | English | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| romanisto | novelist | tradukisto | translator |
| verki | to write (a work) | kies | whose |
| aperi | to appear, be published | komencanto | beginner |
| novelo | novella, short story | libroservo | book service |
Show a translation
People have been writing in Esperanto for more than a hundred years. Poets, novelists and translators have written many books. Among the poets is William Auld, a teacher in Scotland, whose great poem La infana raso appeared in 1956. Easier for beginners is the novella Gerda malaperis! by Claude Piron, which appeared in 1983 and is often used in courses. Many books can be found at the book service of UEA.
✏️ Try It Yourself — Ekzercoj
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. What does "original literature" mean in this chapter?
Show answer
Works written in Esperanto, as opposed to works translated into it.
2. What did Zamenhof publish in the Unua Libro besides the grammar?
Show answer
Several translations and a short original poem, as an appendix.
3. Who wrote Lilio (1918), and what was notable about it?
Show answer
Edith Alleyne Sinnotte. She was the first woman to publish a novel in Esperanto.
4. Name two writers of the period between the world wars.
Show answer
For example Julio Baghy and Kálmán Kalocsay (also Eŭgeno Miĥalski, Heinrich Luyken, Jean Forge).
5. What is special about William Auld?
Show answer
He was the first person nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature for work in Esperanto (1999, 2004 and 2006). His masterpiece is La infana raso.
6. Which book does this course suggest as a first novel to read?
Show answer
Gerda malaperis! by Claude Piron, a novella often used in language courses.
7. Where might you read Zamenhof's poems online for free?
Show answer
On the Esperanto Wikisource (Vikifontaro), among other sites.
8. Why does this chapter not quote from the books of Auld or Piron?
Show answer
Their works may still be in copyright. Zamenhof's are in the public domain.
9. Take tradukisto and libroservo apart.
Show answer
traduk- (translate) + -ist- + -o: a translator. libr- + serv- + -o: a book service.
10. Write two sentences in Esperanto about a book you would like to read.
Show answer
One possibility: Mi volas legi la novelon Gerda malaperis! Ĝi estas facila kaj interesa.
Words used in this chapter
literaturo literature · poeto poet · romano novel · romanisto novelist · tradukisto translator · verki write a work · kies whose · aperi appear · komencanto beginner · novelo novella · libroservo book service · originala original · verko work · poemo poem