I haven't written about Esperanto yet, in spite of being a fairly avid Esperantist.  I've seen lots of different kinds of writing about Esperanto, but one thing I haven't seen is anyone write, in English, about Esperanto books they felt were particularly worthwhile.  So here are some words about a couple.

After I first worked my way through an Esperanto textbook, I had some doubts about the language.  Would I really find anything in it that would move me, that would have an emotional impact?  One of the first books that helped answer "yes" to that question was Albert Goodheir's translation of Prometheus Bound, Prometeo Ligita.  I enjoyed it more than I expected; it uses the language so well and so beautifully that I've found myself re-reading it again and again.

A novel originally in Esperanto that really grabbed my attention was Julio Baghy's Viktimoj.  This is a fictionalized re-telling of Baghy's experiences as a prisoner of war during World War I.  There are plenty of dramatic scenes in the book, but the one that stands out in my mind is one in which a new arrival is bragging to his fellow prisoners about his girlfriend back home.  He pulls out her portrait, which he begins to show the other men ... when one of them suddenly shouts, "That's my wife!".  You'll have to read the book to find out more.

One of the novels that Esperanto's creator, L. L. Zamenhof, translated is Marta, by Eliza Orzeszkova.  Again, the emotional impact of the book comes through quite strongly.  It tells the story of a woman with a young child after her husband dies, and shines a spotlight on the terrible impact of gender discrimination.  Many things have changed since it was written and translated, but it's worth reading to know where we've come from.

While it's true that you can find two of these books in English translation (and other languages, for that matter), the Esperanto translations were important to me because they really "work".  When I read books like those, suddenly the language came to life.  Anyone who studies any second language can tell you, that's the moment you're working and waiting for.  No matter how long you've been studying (or not), when it catches fire it becomes real.  After that, life will never be quite the same.

Once upon a time, I wanted to learn many different things.  I was often frustrated, because the things I wanted to know were quite specialized.  This meant that I couldn't find books about many of the things I wanted to know, that even when I could find the books I often couldn't afford to buy them, and that even on those occasions when what I wanted was available in the local public library, it was a matter of some question whether I'd understand enough to make use of what I read.  It isn't a particularly good idea, by the way, to ask people around you for help reading ancient Egyptian if you live in a small town in the midwestern U.S.A.

So I got creative.  I learned how to get more information out of a book than its authors meant to put in.  I learned how to make use of a diverse array of information sources. I learned to collect and compile information.

Time has passed, and now I have a bit more money and live in a place where there are a lot more libraries and bookstores, and now there's the Internet.  A shorthand textbook, of the kind that I'd have been happy to have as a kid, came into my hands for about $1.50 at a thrift store.  I know where to order books in Esperanto, and I have enough money to buy a few of them.  A nearby used book store sold me a copy of the Berlioz Requiem.  Also, it's become easier for me to make use of the books I find, even on fairly specialized subjects, because I'm better at reading and understanding what I read.  When all else fails, I now know how to look up experts (or anyway friends who know more about something than I do) and ask questions.  I've finally made it to learner's paradise!

But there's a catch.  You saw this coming, right?

I'm busy.  There is work, and there's practice, and composing, and social time.  There's shopping and laundry and other things that have to be done.  There's E-mail and YouTube and blogs and web sites.  There's the simple need for sleep.  So the books sit, waiting for the day when I'll finally be able to pick them up and read.

So now I'm learning to do something else.  I'm learning how to tell what I'll read/refer to/study/use, and how to make time so I can do that.  And I'm learning to avoid buying books if I won't use them.

Tonight I'm not dressing up (too much stuff to do) but I did go to a Halloween party last weekend with a bunch of friends.  Usually I'm not much for dressing up, period, but last weekend I decided to make the effort.  So I got a sweater that, except for the color, did an OK job of being chain mail, and a pair of pants that matched the sweater.  I also brought home a hacksaw, a roll of duct tape, and a pair of work gloves.  At this point it was Sunday afternoon, and party time was drawing near!

I cut the bottom off a large detergent bottle, and added some duct tape to make a helmet.  Then I duct-taped the work-gloves ("gauntlets"), and an old pair of tennis shoes (whatever you call the shoes of a suit of armor).  I decided not to carry any more accessories because I was out of time and because I hadn't found anything like a shield or fake weapon in my price range.  In hindsight I had a toilet-plunger handle that would have been fine, but, well, hindsight's 20/20!  I also gouged my thumb cutting duct-tape; I had no idea my scissors were so sharp!

In any case, the costume was ready, and I was off to party.  I arrived, hungry and starving but very happy (not to worry; the organizers of the affair had provided plenty of food), and eager to introduce myself to the world: Sir Gallon-hat at your service!