South and Southeast Asia
India is the cultural giant over
South Asia. Hallmark writings such
as Veda, the Brahmanas, and the
Upanishads are the roots of Indian
literature. As early as 1500 BCE,
the Veda written in the Sanskrit
language introduced the birth of
Indian literary works. Around the
16th century, written literature in
India appeared.
South and Southeast Asia
In the succeeding centuries of
British colonization, English
literature emerged that happen to
be the significant influence of
Indian literary traditions until the
21st century period.
Kalidasa is a notable and famous
Indian writer considered to be the
Hindu Shakespeare.
South and Southeast Asia
The literary traditions of Southeast
Asia possess the influences of
Buddhist, Thai, and English
cultures, especially in Burma
literature.
Malaysian and Indonesian literature
reflects a large part of the Sanskrit
language and Islam culture.
South and Southeast Asia
In contemporary times, India still manifests the
impact of colonial rule through the presence of
the English language in literary traditions.
Numerous Indian writers like the Rabindranath
Tagore, Prem Chand, Raja Rao, and R.K. Narayan
are highly accomplished and internationally
known.
Southeast Asia literature presents themes on
colonial and postcolonial experiences in
Burmese literature and western literature
influences in Thailand literature.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE
He was a Bengali poet, short-story writer,
song composer, playwright, essayist, and
painter. He was referred to as “The Bard
of Bengal”. He is a towering figure of
world literature and the most famous
modern Indian poet.
He won the 1913 Nobel Prize for
Literature award for his book “The
English Gitanjali or Song Offerings.” It is a
volume of poetry which is a collection of
devotional songs to the supreme.
DHANPAT RAI SRIVASTAVA
Also known by his pseudonym Prem Chand,
he is a famous Indian author of novels and
short stories of his modern Hindustani
literature. He pioneered in adapting Indian
themes to Western literary styles.
He wrote the most popular Hindi novel
“Godaan” (Cow Donation) and considered
one of the greatest Hindi novels of modern
Indian literature. Its theme was around the
socio-economic deprivation as well as the
exploitation of the village poor.
The theme focused on the poverty and exploitation of the poor in villages.
RAJA RAO
He is an Indian writer of novels and short stories
in the English language. His famous novel “The
Serpent and the Rope”, a semi-autobiographical
account of the narrator, a young intellectual
Brahman, and his wife seeking spiritual truth in
India, France, and England, recognized him as
one of the finest Indian prose Stylists.
It won him the Sahitya Akademi Award. He was
also rewarded the Neustadt International Prize
for Literature. His literary works in various
genres had a significant contribution to Indian
and to world literature.
RASIPURAM KRISHNASWAMI
NARAYAN
(R. K. Narayan)
One of the finest Indian authors in the
English language, he wrote the
Sahitya Award-winning novel “The
Guide” which was adapted for film
and for Broadway.
It was based on the fictional town in
South India and describes the
transformation of the protagonist from
a tour guide to a spiritual guide and
one of the greatest holy men of India.
CHART KORBJITTI
He is the most successful Thai writer. He
was recognized by his publication of his
novel Khamphiphaksa (The Judgment).
His novel was named as Book of the Year
by Thailand's Literature Council and won
him the S.E.A Write Award.
He was awarded National Artist in
Literature (2004) and was among the
honorees of the inaugural Silpathorn
Award, given to Thai contemporary
artists.
NGUYEN DU
The best-loved poet and the father of
Vietnamese literature, he was most
known for his epic poem “The Tale of
Kieu” that recounts the life, trials, and
tribulations of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and
talented young woman, who has to
sacrifice herself to save her family.
She sells herself into marriage with a
middle-aged man, not knowing that he is
a pimp, and is forced into prostitution.
TENGKU AMIR HAMZAH
He was an Indonesian poet and National
Hero of Indonesia. His poem collection
“Nyangi Sunyi” is considered the most
developed and shows the theme of God
and His relationship to humanity, fate,
dissatisfaction, and escape.
Some literary critics think that the
collection is an attempt to address the
worldly problems of Amir. He was the
only Indonesian poet recognized
internationally.
Central Asia
Central Asian literature has different
literary characteristics and political in
culture.
In contemporary times, Russian
influence continues to be present in
Central Asia literature. Some of the
Central Asian writers and their
literary works pave their way to be
known worldwide.
ABDULLAH QODIRIY
He was known by the pseudonym
“Julqunboy.” He was one of the most
influential Uzbek writers of the 20th
century and Soviet playwright, poet,
writer, and literary translator.
His most famous work is the historical
novel O’tgan kunlar (Days Gone By),
the first Uzbek full-length novel.
MUKHTAR AUEZ-ULI
He was an early Soviet Kazakh writer
and won recognition for the long
novel “Abay” which is based on the
life and poetry of Kunanbay-uli.
CHINGIZ AYTMATOV
He was a Soviet and Kyrgyz author and the
best-known figure in Kyrgyz and Russian
literature. “Jamila”, his first major novel was
told from the viewpoint of a fictional
character that tells the story by looking back
on his childhood.
The story recounts the love between his new
sister-in-law Jamilya and a local crippled
young man, Daniyar, while Jamilya's
husband, Sadyk, is "away at the front" (as a
Soviet soldier during World War II).
REPRESENTATIVE TEXTS AND
AUTHORS FROM AFRICA
Africa, the “Cradle of the humankind”
according to scientists, has a
literature that is filled with the human
spirit, desiring for freedom and
contentment.
African literature consists of oral
tradition and written literature
ranging from local languages brought
by the colonizers (English,
Portuguese, and French). The
experiences of the colonization and
The oral literature of Africa such as
myths, stories, riddles, proverbs, and
dramas document the exploits of the
heroes of the communities, remind the
people about their culture and
traditions, entertain and educate the
youth.
It flourishes across the continent in
the 15th century CE until the
interaction of Africa with Europe and
Asia, their trade and cultural partners,
serves as the main contributor to the
In the 19th century, European
countries compete for the
colonization of the African territory
to gain political and economic
edge.
The colonization and slave trade
has awakened the African psyche
(the soul and mind) incredibly.
The literary works are the vehicle,
specifically the newspaper, in
exposing the psychological social
impact of colonization. African writers
express their cry for freedom from
oppression through their poetry and
narrative works.
Though they use the European
language to produce their literary
works, the cry for independence has
reached to the climax, so strong and
effective, with the embodiment of the
Numerous notable African writers are
Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Kofi
Awoonor, Ngungi wa Thiong’o (East
Africa’s leading novelist), Okot p’Bitek,
Nadine Gordimer, Dennis Crutus,
Es’kia Mphahlele, and Jacques
Rabemananjara.
In the contemporary times, African
writers experience new challenges
with their new and sovereign
government. They still use their
literary works as a vehicle in
expressing their voices against their
CHINUA ACHEBE
He was a Nigerian novelist, poet,
critic, and professor and was honored
as Grand Prix de la Memoir of the
2019 edition of the Grand Prix of
Literary Associations.
His first novel and masterpiece,
“Things Fall Apart”, is the most widely
read book in modern African literature.
It concerns the traditional Igbo life at
the time of the advent of missionaries
and the colonial government in his
WOLE SOYINKA
He was the first black African to be
awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize for
Literature.
One of his famous works is his first
important play “A Dance of the Forests”
which was written for the Nigerian
independence celebrations. It parodies
the emerging nation by stripping it of
romantic legend and by showing that
the present is no more a golden age
than it was before.
KOFI AWOONOR
He was a Ghanian novelist and poet
who wrote “This Earth, My Brother”,
a cross between a novel and a poem.
It was told on two levels each
representing a distinct reality.
The first level is a standard
narrative which details a day in the
life of an attorney named Amamu.
The second level is a symbol-laden
mystical journey filled with biblical
and literary allusions.
These portions of the text deal with
the new nation of Ghana, which is
represented by a baby on a dunghill.
The dunghill is a source of both rot
and renewal, and in this way
represents the foundations upon
which Ghana was built.
NGUNGI WA THIONG’O
East Africa’s leading novelist, a
Kenyan writer who wrote the famous
novel “Weep Not, Child”. It was the
first major novel in English by an East
African. It deals with the Mau-Mau
Uprising, a war in the British Kenya
Colony (1920–1963) between the
Kenya Land and Freedom Army.
OKOT P’ BITEK
He was a Ugandan poet, novelist, and
social anthropologist who wrote the
three verse collections – Song of
Lawino (1066), Song of Ocol (1970),
and Two Songs (1971).
He achieved international recognition
for Song of Lawino, a long poem
dealing with the tribulations of a rural
African wife whose husband has taken
up urban life and wishes everything to
be westernized. It was followed by the
NADINE GORDIMER
A South African writer and the recipient of
the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature. She wrote
the joint winner of the Booker - McConnell
Prize novel “The Conservationist”.
The story is a character study of a
successful South African industrial executive
and, by extension, a critique of South Africa.
ES’KIA MPHAHLELE
[
He wrote the South African classic
autobiography “Down Second Avenue”
about the story of a young man’s
growth into adulthood with penetrating
social criticism of the conditions forced
upon black South Africans by a system
of institutionalized racial segregation.
THOMAS MOFOLO
He was the greatest writer from the
Sotho people in Africa. He created the
first Western-style novels in the
Basotho language. His novel “Chaka”
became a classic.
It was a historical novel about the
story of the rise and fall of the Zulu
king Shaka. Dennis P. Kunene
translated the novel from Sotho to
English.
ACTIVITY: MY
HOMEREADING!
Directions: Choose one short story
of your choice from the Asian or
African literature then produce a
home reading report about your
chosen literary piece.
Write your responses on a one
whole sheet of paper.
ACTIVITY: MY
HOMEREADING!
A. Title of the selection
B. Author
C. Exposition
D. Conflict
E. Climax
F. Resolution
G. Characters
H. Setting
I. Point of View
J. Theme
ASSIGNMENT
Instruction:
Read the excerpt from “A Thousand
Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini
(Afghanistan), then answer the
questions provided. Write your
answers on one half sheet of paper
(crosswise).
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:
1. How would you describe A burqa?
2. Would you ever want to wear one? Why
or why not?
3. What do you think A burqa symbolizes?
4. What does the burqa reveal about Afghan
and/or Muslim society?
5. What were your expectations of the
story, considering that it was set in
Afghanistan? Did it go against your
expectations? In what instance did Mariam
feel glad she had A burqa on? Why did she
feel this way?
6. Why does Mariam compare herself to
other women?
7. What do you feel towards Mariam?
Explain your answer.
8. How would you describe Mariam’s
relationship with Rasheed? What can you
predict about their relationship in the
future?
9. Why is it important to show in the story
that there are also modern women in
Afghanistan?