CEFR C2 · Proficient
Read Proficient Classics in English (C2)
61 books graded at CEFR C2 (proficient) — learn English by reading the stories worth reading at exactly your level. Tap any word for an instant translation, listen to the narration, and save the vocabulary you meet. Start with a free sample.
What are the best C2 books to read in English?
The best C2 books to read in English are well-known classics whose own language sits at that level — start with Sonnets from the Portuguese, Oliver Twist and The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Each is the complete book, labelled CEFR C2 (proficient), with tap-to-translate, narration and saved vocabulary, so you read a real story while building the English you actually meet in it.
- 61
- books
| Title | Chapters | CEFR |
|---|---|---|
| The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse | 493 | C2 |
| The Scarlet Letter | 24 | C1–C2 |
| The Turn of the Screw | 24 | C2 |
| The Woman in White | 53 | C1–C2 |
| Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | 46 | B2–C2 |
| Twenty years after | 90 | B2–C2 |
| Ulysses | 18 | C2 |
| War and Peace | 365 | C2 |
| White nights, and other stories | 32 | C1–C2 |
| Wuthering Heights | 34 | C1–C2 |
| The City of God, Volume I | 13 | C2 |
| The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana: Translated From the Sanscrit in Seven Parts With Preface, Introduction and Concluding Remarks | 40 | C1–C2 |
| The Anabasis of Alexander : $b or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great | 205 | C2 |
Level C2PoetryThe Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verseThe classic fantasy novel by Valmiki.
Level C1–C2ClassicsThe Scarlet LetterThe classic historical novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Level C2GothicThe Turn of the ScrewThe classic mystery novel by Henry James.
Level C1–C2MysteryThe Woman in WhiteThe classic mystery novel by Wilkie Collins.
Level B2–C2Science FictionTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaCaptain Nemo's submarine Nautilus carries its captives across the world's oceans.
Level B2–C2AdventureTwenty years afterThe classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas.
Level C2ClassicsUlyssesThe classic novel by James Joyce.
Level C2ClassicsWar and PeaceTolstoy's sweeping epic follows five aristocratic families through the Napoleonic Wars, weaving personal drama with grand historical events to create one of literature's greatest p…
Level C1–C2ClassicsWhite nights, and other storiesThe classic classics novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Level C1–C2GothicWuthering HeightsThe classic gothic novel by Emily Brontë.
Level C2PhilosophyThe City of God, Volume IThe classic work of philosophy and theology by Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Level C1–C2PhilosophyThe Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana: Translated From the Sanscrit in Seven Parts With Preface, Introduction and Concluding RemarksThe classic romance novel by Vatsyayana.
Level C2HistoricalThe Anabasis of Alexander : $b or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the GreatThe classic historical novel by Arrian.