>> There's no better example than Joseph Conrad, whose incredibly rich
>> English language prose is often ascribed to his multilingual skills,
>> e.g:
>
Both "Heart of Darkness" and "N-word of the Narcissus" left me gaping
with amazement and delight.
Alas, though English is also my third language, I cannot work Conrad's magic. I think part of the problem is that I never got enough of my mother tongue (Romanian) to appreciate the depth of any language. But this in its way makes my deep love for some English writers and poets more secure -- because I will never actually be able to figure out why I love them so.
It's also interesting to note that English was not the first language of many good and great 20th century writers, particularly those form India, particularly Narayan.
Joanna