The Bottle Imp

Retold in easy English (A2) from the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson

The whole of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous short story, retold in easy English. Keawe, a poor sailor from Hawaii, buys a strange bottle for fifty dollars, and the imp inside gives him everything he wishes for. But if a man dies with the bottle, he burns in hell, and he can only sell it for less than he paid. Every sale makes the price smaller, so how long can anybody escape?

5 chapters · about 10,100 words · 5 min – 2 h to read.

The rest of this book is for subscribers

The beginning is free. Reader opens the whole of every subscriber book, with its narration and more word meanings.

See plans

Read it

Read the beginning

Also in: German · Greek · Spanish · French · Hindi · Indonesian · Italian · Japanese · Korean · Dutch · Polish · Portuguese · Romanian · Turkish · Vietnamese · Chinese

How it begins

EnglishGerman

The House on the Hill

Das Haus auf dem Hügel

There was a man of the Island of Hawaii. I will call him Keawe. The truth is that he is still alive, so his name must stay secret. He was born near Honaunau. And the bones of Keawe the Great lie hidden in a cave there.

Es war einmal ein Mann von der Insel Hawaii. Ich nenne ihn Keawe. Die Wahrheit ist: Er lebt noch, darum muss sein Name geheim bleiben. Er ist in der Nähe von Honaunau geboren. Und die Knochen von Keawe dem Großen liegen dort versteckt in einer Höhle.

Keawe was poor, brave and busy, and he could read and write like a schoolmaster. He was also an excellent sailor. He worked on the island steamers, and he steered a whaleboat on the Hamakua coast. Then one day he wanted to see the big world and foreign cities. So he found work on a ship to San Francisco.

Keawe war arm, mutig und fleißig, und er konnte lesen und schreiben wie ein Lehrer. Er war auch ein sehr guter Seemann. Er hat auf den Inseldampfern gearbeitet, und er hat ein Walfangboot an der Küste von Hamakua gesteuert. Dann wollte er eines Tages die große Welt und fremde Städte sehen. Darum hat er Arbeit auf einem Schiff nach San Francisco gefunden.

The opening paragraphs, as the reader shows them. Read on

Languages

All 17 editions: titles, levels and lengths

The Bottle Imp · English (original)A2 Easy · 10,113 words · ~1 h 45 min
Der Flaschenkobold · GermanA2 Easy · 10,512 words · ~2 h
Το διαβολάκι του μπουκαλιού · GreekA2 Easy · 9,407 words · ~1 h 45 min
El diablillo de la botella · SpanishA2 Easy · 9,565 words · ~1 h 45 min
Le Lutin dans la bouteille · FrenchA2 Easy · 11,391 words · ~2 h
बोतल का जिन्न · HindiA2 Easy · 10,792 words · ~2 h
Jin dalam Botol · IndonesianA2 Easy · 8,834 words · ~1 h 45 min
Il diavoletto della bottiglia · ItalianA2 Easy · 9,783 words · ~1 h 45 min
びんの中のこおに · JapaneseA2 Easy
병 속의 도깨비 · KoreanA2 Easy · 7,121 words · ~1 h 15 min
De fles met de duivel · DutchA2 Easy · 10,695 words · ~2 h
Diabeł w butelce · PolishA2 Easy · 8,250 words · ~1 h 30 min
O Gênio da Garrafa · PortugueseA2 Easy · 9,722 words · ~1 h 45 min
Spiridușul din sticlă · RomanianA2 Easy · 9,612 words · ~1 h 45 min
Şişedeki Cin · TurkishA2 Easy · 7,023 words · ~1 h 15 min
Con quỷ trong chai · VietnameseA2 Easy · 11,134 words · ~2 h
瓶中小鬼 · ChineseA2 Easy

Open it in the reader: all 272 language pairs

Reading it as a parallel text

A parallel text puts a story next to its translation, paragraph by paragraph. Read in the language you are working on and glance across only when a sentence stops you: the story keeps moving, and the words you look up stay in context. More in how to read with a parallel text.

Questions

Which languages can I read The Bottle Imp in?

English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Vietnamese and Chinese. Pick the language you want to read and the one to keep beside it: every paragraph sits next to its translation, so you can check a sentence without losing your place.

What level is it?

The original English is A2 Easy. In translation, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish, Vietnamese and Chinese are A2 Easy. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from Pre-A1 (starter) to C2.

How long is it?

About 10,113 words in 5 chapters: around 5 min – 2 h of reading, with the translation beside it. The time depends on the edition's level: an easier edition is read more slowly.

Is it free?

Only the beginning. Read it online with no account. The rest of the book, the narration and the downloads (PDF, EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) come with Reader.

Can I read it on a Kindle or Kobo?

Yes. Download the EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books and most e-readers, or the AZW3 or MOBI for a Kindle, with each paragraph followed by its translation. There is also a side-by-side PDF to print, and each language on its own.