CEFR C2 · Proficient
Read Proficient Classics in English (C2)
973 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 Yorkshire Lyrics: Poems written in the Dialect as Spoken in the West Riding of Yorkshire. To which are added a Selection of Fugitive Verses not in the Dialect, XXXII Ballades in Blue China [1885] and Within a Budding Grove. 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.
- 973
- books
| Title | Chapters | CEFR |
|---|---|---|
| The Brothers Karamazov | 96 | C2 |
| The Complete Works of William Shakespeare | 44 | C2 |
| The Expedition of Humphry Clinker | 84 | C2 |
| The History of Don Quixote, Volume 1, Complete | 52 | C2 |
| The Lady of the Lake | 190 | C2 |
| The Prince | 26 | C2 |
| The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse | 5 | C2 |
| The Turn of the Screw | 24 | C2 |
| The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) | 44 | C2 |
| Ulysses | 18 | C2 |
| War and Peace | 365 | C2 |
| The City of God, Volume I | 13 | C2 |
| The Anabasis of Alexander : $b or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great | 205 | C2 |
Level C2ClassicsThe Brothers KaramazovThe classic classics novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Level C2ClassicsThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareThe classic poetry novel by William Shakespeare.
Level C2ClassicsThe Expedition of Humphry ClinkerThe classic epistolary novel by Tobias Smollett.
Level C2ClassicsThe History of Don Quixote, Volume 1, CompleteThe classic romance novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Level C2PoetryThe Lady of the LakeThe classic romance novel by Walter Scott.
Level C2PhilosophyThe PrinceThe classic historical novel by Niccolò Machiavelli.
Level C2PoetryThe Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verseThe classic fantasy novel by Valmiki.
Level C2GothicThe Turn of the ScrewThe classic mystery novel by Henry James.
Level C2PhilosophyThe Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)The classic historical novel by George Gillespie.
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 C2PhilosophyThe City of God, Volume IThe classic work of philosophy and theology by Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Level C2HistoricalThe Anabasis of Alexander : $b or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the GreatThe classic historical novel by Arrian.