Interlingua literature
Interlingua literature includes works written in Interlingua, a planned international language created by the IALA between 1937 and 1951. The language is based on Latin and Romance languages and is meant to be easy for readers of those tongues. While only a few hundred people actively speak it, its writing can be read by millions.
Alexander Gode led the final development of Interlingua, but his view of its possible uses was narrow. His literary legacy is mainly a few hundred summaries of scientific articles from the 1950s and 1960s and two small collections of short stories, not highly valued as literature.
The first Interlingua books were learning guides, published in 1954: the Interlingua-English Dictionary and A Brief Grammar of Interlingua for Readers. In 1954 came Interlingua a Prime Vista, and in 1955 Interlingua: A Grammar of the International Language by Gode and Blair.
In 1960, Eric Ahlström began translating and editing fictional works in his Scriptores scandinave in INTERLINGUA series, including Episodio con perspectiva (1960), Un desertor (1961), and Le nove vestimentos del imperator (1961).
Sven Collberg (1919–2003) was one of the most prolific Interlingua authors. His first publication, Alicubi-Alterubi, was a booklet of 18 original poems. That same year he published Cunate tu es a mi mar, a book of 100 translated poems. Other works include Inter le stellas (1975), Le prince e altere sonetos (1977), Lilios, Robores (1979), Prosa (1980), and Versos grec (1987).
In the 1970s, Carolo Salicto released Volo asymptotic (1970), a collection of original poems with two translations. Celestina le gallina del vicina and Hannibalo le gallo del vicino appeared in 1971. Seven tales by H.C. Andersen were translated in 1975. Also in this decade, Gode published Un dozena de breve contos (1975), and Collberg published a translation of Inter le stellas (by Casemir Wishlace). Gode published Dece Contos in 1983.
The 1990s saw many translations, including Le familia del antiquario by Carlo Goldoni (translated in 1993) and Le Albergatrice (Goldoni, 1995). Other translations include Contos e historias by Andersen (1995) and Le pelegrinage de Christiano by John Bunyan (1994).
In 2022 Vicente Costalago published the original novella Juliade, followed by Poemas in the same year. Kilglan by Costalago appeared in 2023. In March 2025, Posta Mundi issue 46 carried Sonetto del depression by Eduardo Ortega (Le Canario Interlinguista), along with Ad su prude dama (To His Coy Mistress) by Andrew Marvell translated by Martin Lavallée, who also translated Le Albatros by Baudelaire.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:16 (CET).