I'm looking for a personal recommendation for an Esperanto novel at the "advanced" level. My only two preferences are that I would prefer an original work (rather than translated) and a more (rather than less) contemporary work.

It would be helpful if you could include a reason for the recommendation and a source for the book.

Thanks in advance!

I really liked "Kredu min, Sinjorino!"

It's written in regular Esperanto but the language isn't difficult. It is not a new book but it has aged well and is still very enjoyable. It's about a travelling salesman who uses various tricks and dishonest tactics to sell his products. It's written originally in Esperanto and semi-autobiographical.

A more recent book that I enjoyed is "La Ŝtona Urbo" by Anna Lowenstein. It's about a Celtic girl who gets taken to Rome as a slave. There was a second book that she wrote a couple years later (in 2008), "Morto de Artisto", which also takes place in Ancient Rome. I haven't read it but I'm sure it's good as well.

"Maskerado ĉirkaŭ la morto" is not new but it's the true story of how the author escaped the Nazis through a combination of passing himself off as non-Jewish, and hiding out in Nazi-occupied Budapest. Written concurrently in Esperanto and in English, but it still qualifies as original Esperanto literature to me.

All of the books have very enjoyable stories. If you haven't read a full-length Esperanto novel before, I think Kredu Min, Sinjorino! is an easiest one to start with. It also has amusing (and spot-on) parodies of Esperanto spoken with really bad British accents.

BigUglyDave, you may already know this, but just in case you don't, there is a thread in Esperanto also asking for recommendations for books in Esperanto (non-translated, originally written in Esperanto). Maybe you could find some recommendations there in addition to those you get in this thread.

The thread title is: Kiuj estas viaj plej ŝatataj libroj en Esperanto? (Translation: What are your most liked books in Esperanto?)

The URL is: http://en.lernu.net/komunikado/forumo/temo.php?t=4...

The clickable link is:

Similar thread in Esperanto in Lernu forum

Boris Kolker's Vojaĝo en Esperanto-lando has several extracts from novels, which could serve as samples.

A long time ago I was advised to read Varankin's 'Metropoliteno.' I bought a copy, but I fell away from the language and never did read it.