writing in a foreign (non-native) language

[xxxyyy]

people often react sort of bewildered when i tell i write only in english. i could tell them that i find german a needlessly ornate, counter-intiutive language - although quite beautiful in the right hands - but usually it's easier to simply tell them that i was raised bilingual. i realize this, in spite of being born in germany and living here all my life, hardly qualifies english as a foreign language in my case, but it's not unheard of that writers sometimes write in a different language than their native one, e.g. nabokov in english, beckett in french, celan in german and probably a shitload of ones i either have forgotten about or never heard of.
so i was wondering if anyone had any experience with this sort of thing? i've been thinking of starting back on french, i had it in school for quite a while, but i fucking hated it as a teenager, and it only hit me later what a great disservice i had done myself by basically refusing to learn it properly.

 

[Pagey]

Well being French I didn't learn English, which is all I write in, as a native language but I did learn it pretty early on so I dunno if it counts or not. I learned German later on and I certainly wouldn't be able to write anything even remotely worthwhile in that.

 

[Nately's Whore]

but it's not unheard of that writers sometimes write in a different language than their native one, e.g. nabokov in english, beckett in french, celan in german and probably a shitload of ones i either have forgotten about or never heard of

Jane Bowles is a good example of a tri-lingual writer who's taken to English as the dominant language in her craft, but also being fluent in Arabic and Spanish has the most interesting impact on the prose she writes.

I can't speak anything but English which has bothered me for some time as you're aware. Can't imagine I'd be anything but shit at it at this point even if I were to learn several other languages. English works well for me.

I worry enough in one language.

 

[xxxyyy]

Well being French I didn't learn English, which is all I write in, as a native language but I did learn it pretty early on so I dunno if it counts or not. I learned German later on and I certainly wouldn't be able to write anything even remotely worthwhile in that.

well yes, this is pretty much what i was talking about. so what made you write in english instead of french? also, when you say young, how young do you mean?

I can't speak anything but English which has bothered me for some time as you're aware. Can't imagine I'd be anything but shit at it at this point even if I were to learn several other languages. English works well for me.

I worry enough in one language.

it really depends on what you expect. languages are tricky beasts and especially writing relies as much on technical savvy as it does on instinct. however i do believe that being polyglot has a lot more advantages than disadvantages (aside from the obvious ones). you could learn another language if you applied yourself to it to the point where you could write and converse in it without problems. whether you could ever produce any worthwhile prose in that language is another matter entirely.

 

[kleinerkiffer]

Being from germany I try to write my poems in english, 'cause I love that language more than german, tough it's sometimes hard to find the right words or I even have to look-up some. I learned english since the third grade, I'm now in eleventh.

 

[pup]

How about the challenge of an in-between, completely bilingual poem or story? Or translate one into the other? We could play a morbid game of exquisite corpse between us. It would be cool to write something worthy in a few languages.

I always thought German sounded sexy. Today I wrote in Japanese. It's simple to read but difficult to translate, even if the rhythm were kept there would be lost double entendres, nuances. And that's what makes a poem, a poem.

 

[Pagey]

well yes, this is pretty much what i was talking about. so what made you write in english instead of french? also, when you say young, how young do you mean?

Sorry for the late answer, I just saw this!

I started learning English when I was about 5-6. So not as a native language, but early enough to be completely bilingual today. I decided to write in English rather than French because I find it to be a much more harmonious language. I think it's easier to write more poetically in English (even with prose), especially since there's a much richer vocabulary. Don't get me wrong, I love French as a language, but just less in literature. That's basically it

 

[kleinerkiffer]

How about the challenge of an in-between, completely bilingual poem or story? Or translate one into the other? We could play a morbid game of exquisite corpse between us. It would be cool to write something worthy in a few languages.

This sounds great ! Good idea. What about you start with some verses in english about a topic you
choose and i will write some in german ?

 

[Tude]

It's simple to read but difficult to translate, even if the rhythm were kept there would be lost double entendres, nuances. And that's what makes a poem, a poem.

That's the thing with languages. They all have their nuances. Something will always be lost in translation.

I really want to finish learning German!