I'm talking about writers from other countries or even continents. I'm interested in other cultures and like to experiment with new writers, I read Chimamamda Adichie (Nigeria) who is an excellent writer, Jo Nesbo (Norway) whose works were translated to English, and Arundhati Roy (India). Do you have any writers you can recommend?
I've read Adichie and Roy in the past, and I do like the idea of reading through the eyes of different cultures. And they are pretty good writers as well. These days, though, I only seem to read non-fiction. I'm not exactly sure when the change happened. It's just the way it's evolved in recent years.
While I believe that I give everyone a chance to prove themselves the one time I read a book written by a Nigerian author named Chinua Achebe, I lost interest in reading books written by writers from that region. I've read some stories written by Indian writers and they weren't all that bad but they lacked something . . . I like tight, fast-paced writing. Few writers manage and those few unfortunately happen to be American, Australian or Brit. For that reason, diversity isn't for me.
As diverse as the sun, moon and the stars. Although a chunk of them are magical realists, I have no qualms reading the works of writers from the fantasy, young adult, horror, classical, chick lit and historical romance genres. I highly recommend Haruki Murakami, my favorite magical realist yet. Kafka on the Shore, Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Wild Sheep Chase and 1Q84 are a must read. The works of late Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marcia Marquez are also worth exploring. You can't miss One Hundred Years of Solitude. Then of course there's Isabel Allende, who to me is the female counterpart of Marquez. Also a magical realist, she wrote the famous family saga, The House of Spirits, and the romantic tragedy Of Love and Confusion. Other authors I'd be more than honored to recommend are Anne Rice, Natsume Soseki, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Vladimir Nabokov, Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Sophie Kinsella, Sir Walter Scott, Philippa Gregory and Victoria Holt/Jean Plaidy.
I always have respect for people can and have learned two languages. Especially writers who are not originally from a country that speaks an English language at its initial language. As far as enjoying writers from different countries, I cannot think of any names off the top of my head. But when I do read and enjoy a writer, the writer usually has to be very diverse. I do not like monotone writers, like J.K Rowling in the HP books.
I enjoy Wilfred G. O. Cartey's words in 'Black African voices'. Also, Since I am from North America, A. A. Milne's Pooh stories would count in this category and they are an 'expected surprise' as I like to put it because most of us are familiar with his beloved character but few of us have taken time to read his written works. And I am about to start reading, 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini which came with a good review from a friend.
Well, I am from India and I do not read books by any writers from India or Indian Subcontinent. I see that most of them try to paint India or their countries in a bad light (I am assuming as I have really not read them), because that is what sells. I do read books by writers of all other countries. Also, the vocabulary and character names used in the Indian books are somewhat weird.
I enjoy reading works by different writers from around the world. Here are some of the books I have read that left a mark in my mind: The English Patient by Sri-Lankan-born Canadian Michael Ondaatje, The Visions of Emma Blau by German-born American Ursula Hegi, The Kite Runner by Afghan-born American Khaled Hosseini, and last but definitely not the least, Haruki Murakami's books. I couldn't pick a favorite novel from this Japanese writer because all of his works are just so freaking awesome.
