Antoine de Saint-Exupery's 'The Little Prince' exists in over 382 different languages, making it the most translated book in the world. Photo: AFP
Although children's books are not considered "real" literary works, there is no denying that many of them are top sellers and a multitude become international classics. In fact, children's books even rank among the most widely translated works in the world.
The most widely translated book worldwide is such a tome - Antoine de Saint Exupery's work The Little Prince, originally written in French under the title Le Petit Prince.
Eighty years ago, unbeknownst to him, the French author wrote a children's story that would become the most translated book in the world after the Bible.
France at the top
The Little Prince has been translated into in more than 382 different languages, according to a ranking * compiled by Preply, which lists the books with the most translations worldwide.
France tops the list with this title, ahead of Italy and England.
Italy comes in second place thanks to Carlo Collodi's The Adventures Of Pinocchio. This children's book, adapted into an animated film by Disney in 1940, has been translated into more than 300 languages since its publication in 1881.
That's almost twice as many as English author Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, which can be read in over 175 languages.
Fourth place in the ranking goes to Hans Christian Andersen's Andersen's Fairy Tales. This anthology volume brings together the best-known children's stories by the Danish writer, who wrote some 170 during his lifetime. It's available in over 160 languages.
Belgian cartoonist Herge's The Adventures Of Tintin also features prominently in this list. With 93 translations, it puts Belgium in eighth place. Overall, the five children's and teenager's tomes listed by Preply alone total 1110 translations (including the comic). Enough to prove to critics of children's literature that the genre isn't just an afterthought.
Interest in autobiographies in Africa
Apart from children's literature, fiction more generally also does well in the area of international exports. Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes' seminal novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha (usually published in English simply under the title Don Quixote) is available in over 140 languages, compared with 80 for Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.
This philosophical tale, which follows the spiritual journey of the Andalusian shepherd Santiago, is the most widely translated work in South America.
While fiction may represent a significant portion of the most translated books worldwide, the African continent shows particular interest in autobiographies.
First-person narratives are among the most widely translated books in this part of the world, such as The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright by Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong'o. This fable, originally written in Kikuyu (a language spoken by the Kenyan people of the same name), exists in 63 different languages, making it the African work with the most translations.
In Asia, two works reach 50-plus languages for translated versions: Autobiography Of A Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda (India) and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Japan).
In North America, self-help tome The Way To Happiness by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (USA) has been translated into 112 languages. In Oceania, Colleen McCullough's celebrated novel The Thorn Birds has been translated into 20-plus languages.
Here are the top 10 entries in Preply's ranking of the most translated books worldwide:
1. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
2. The Adventures Of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
3. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
4. Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
5. Testament by Taras Shevchenko
6. The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote Of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes
7. The Way To Happiness by L. Ron Hubbard
8. The Adventures Of Tintin by Herge
9. The Tragedy Of Man by Imre Madach
10. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
* This ranking is based on data from the World Cat Library, which brings together the collections of over 15,000 libraries on five continents. It does not include religious books. - AFP
