Answer Question
Recommendation for Supplemental Reading in Italian
Recommendation: IN OTHER WORDS / IN ALTRE PAROLE, by Jhumpa Lahiri
Just published in January 2016 and presented in dual-language format, this autobiographical work, written in Italian with English translation on facing pages, "investigates the process of learning to express oneself in another language, and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice."
The author's style is simple, straightforward, and relatively easy to understand. In addition to exposing the reader to frequently used vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, the book also offers many examples of verb tenses (future, pluperfect, etc.) and mood (conditional, subjunctive) barely touched on, if at all, in the Fluenz Italian courses. In addition to providing tips and insights about learning a new language, IN OTHER WORDS is really excellent as a supplemental reader. Anyone who has finished at least level 3 of Fluenz Italian could benefit from this book; those who have finished Level 5 will find it ideal.
About the Author (from the dust jacket):
"Jhumpa Lahiri is the author of four widely acclaimed works of fictions: INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, THE NAMESAKE, UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, and THE LOWLAND. She has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize; the PEN/Hemingway Award; the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award; the Premio Gregor von Rezzori; the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature; a 2014 National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama; and the Premio Internazionale Viareggio Versilia, for this book."
Just published in January 2016 and presented in dual-language format, this autobiographical work, written in Italian with English translation on facing pages, "investigates the process of learning to express oneself in another language, and describes the journey of a writer seeking a new voice."
The author's style is simple, straightforward, and relatively easy to understand. In addition to exposing the reader to frequently used vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, the book also offers many examples of verb tenses (future, pluperfect, etc.) and mood (conditional, subjunctive) barely touched on, if at all, in the Fluenz Italian courses. In addition to providing tips and insights about learning a new language, IN OTHER WORDS is really excellent as a supplemental reader. Anyone who has finished at least level 3 of Fluenz Italian could benefit from this book; those who have finished Level 5 will find it ideal.
About the Author (from the dust jacket):
"Jhumpa Lahiri is the author of four widely acclaimed works of fictions: INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, THE NAMESAKE, UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, and THE LOWLAND. She has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize; the PEN/Hemingway Award; the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award; the Premio Gregor von Rezzori; the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature; a 2014 National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama; and the Premio Internazionale Viareggio Versilia, for this book."