Recommendations for history of Esperanto texts?
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I'm looking for some books, texts, or other resources that would help me dive into the historical developments/spread of Esperanto. Particularly, I am interested in the time frame of the 1940s to present day. If you have any suggestions, I would really appreciate hearing them. Thanks, all!
6 Comments
You might be interested in the (English) Concise Encyclopedia of the Original Literature of Esperanto. It covers Esperanto literature from 1887 to 2007.
There is a book, in Esperanto, called "La danĝera lingvo" that covers the persecution of Esperanto speakers primarily in Nazi Germany and later under Stalin. Unfortunately I don't know where it's easily available, but I suspect it's in UEA's biblioteko or other Esperanto lending library.
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One of most inspiring books you can read (in English) is by Esther Schor, Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language (Ponto el Vortoj). It's available at booksellers and on line. Schor covers the history of Esperanto, how it was challenged in the past, and its place in the world today. She especially details the lives of LL Zamenhof and his family, and their unique gift to the world (because, unlike other creators of "constructed languages", Zamenhof gave his language away to the whole world).
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23847913-bridge-of-words
Also give a listen to Esther Schor's moving TED talk on Esperanto, Bridge of Words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsHQCk46IvI
Zamenhof must have been doing something right -- virtually every side of the political spectrum at some point vilified Esperanto, yet the language is still here, still goal-directed toward world peace.
Even the United States Military tried to portray Esperanto as evil -- using it as the language of the "Aggressor" (enemy) forces in war "games". https://www.amazon.com/Esperanto-aggressor-language-United-States/dp/B009XR3HG0
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Thank you, Kdhy11! I just recently got Schor's text from the local library and it looks fantastic. I really appreciate you taking the time to write this in-depth comment.
