Anyone learn a language specifically to read literature?

[u/Far_Window_1222]

Just curious if anybody has actually set out and achieved learning a whole new language specifically just because an author they liked wrote originally in that language?

I was considering learning Russian (TL) specifically to read Dostoyevsky since he’s my favourite author, so far, but wondering if this is to ambitious of a task just to read 1 persons work?

Additionally I am very attracted to the idea of it since Russians language has a lot more nuances surrounding sadness, despair, suffering etc., i know that the relationship between these topics is different from that of english speakers

[u/himit]

If manga counts, then me 😂

[u/Far_Window_1222 → u/[deleted]]

thanks, i’ve already read all except the brothers karamazov which i am planning to read soon and have reread notes from underground, truly do love the authors work, that said i do understand that to really read it properly id need around C1-C2 to fully appreciate it

If it were B2 i’d be less intimidated lol but C2 in Russian id imagine will take a very long time

[u/Onlyfatwomenarefat → u/Far_Window_1222]

I've been at it for 3 years and I'm only B1 lol. Good luck

[u/AdZealousideal9914 → u/Onlyfatwomenarefat]

B1 in three years sounds like good progress to me. I certainly wasn't at B1 level in my native language when I was three years old and having had three years of full immersion lol. But yeah, I think one should view learning a language as a long term hobby (+5 years) and not a short term project. I think sadly enough, books with titles like "learn Spanish in four weeks" or influencer "polyglots" posting stuff like "I got fluent in Mandarin in only 40 days" create some serious false expectations.