ASIAN

LITERATURE
 THEMES / GENRES

• Culture
• History
• Philosophy
• Religion
• Myths and folklore
• Values
• Traditions and Customs
 REGIONS
1. Northeast Asia – China, Japan, N&S Korea,
Taiwan
2. South Asia - India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives
3. Southeast Asia – Myanmar, Thailand,
Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam,
Laos, East Timor, Philippines, Cambodia
4. West Asia – Iraq, Lebanon, UAE, Jordan, Iran
(Muslim countries)
 CHINESE LITERATURE

• Chinese civilization is the oldest

civilization in the world that dates back to
the Shang Dynasty in 1765 B.C.
• Best represented language with almost
50,000 publications.
• Hung –lou Meng & Chin P’ing Mei – 2 of
China’s great literary masterpieces.
 GREAT POETS OF CHINA

• Li Po – wrote lyrical poetry about love

• Tu Fu – known for his poem about war
and bitter human experiences.
• Li Yian – a woman poet also become
famous
• Lu Hsun – introduced modern Chinese
literature
• Ssuma Chien – Father of Chinese story
 JAPAN LITERATURE

• Earliest writings from ancient Japan are:

• The Records of Ancient Matters in Kojiko (A.D
712)
• The Chronicles of Japan (A.D. 720)
• Haiku – shortest form of Japanese poetry. It is a
seventeen syllable poem in 3 lines of 5, 7, & 5
syllables
Example: Poetry and love
will fill your heart forever,
or rip it to shreds!
MODERN LITERATURE

• Japan has contributed their own

unique genres/forms to literature as
well.
 INDIAN LITERATURE

• The earliest works of Indian literature

was orally transmitted.
 SANSKRIT LITERATURE

• It begins with the oral literature of the

Rig Veda ( collection of sacred hymns).
• Sanskrit epics:
OTHER INDIAN LITERATURE

• Classical Sanskrit literature

• Pali Literature
• Bengali Literature
• Tamil Literature
• Hindi Literature
• Sindhi Literature
RABINDRANATH TAGORE

• India’s fist
Nobel
laureate
TWO MAJOR LITERARY AWARDS
• Sahitya Akademi • Jnanpith Award
Fellowship
 ARABIC LITERATURE

• Adab – an Arabic word used for

literature. It is derived from a meaning
of etiquette and which implies
politeness, culture and enrichment.
 LITERARY WORKS
• The Qu’ran – regarded by the Muslims as the
finest piece of literature work in the Arabic
language.
• One Thousand and One Nights – collection
of West & South Asian stories compiled in
Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age.
• Compilation – one of the most common
forms of literature during the Abbasid period.
SEX – SUBJECT OF ARABIC
LITERATURE
JEWISH LITERATURE
SINGAPOREAN LITERATURE

• 4 main languages: English, Malay,

Standard Mandarin and Tamil.

• The 1st notable Singaporean work of

poetry in English is possibly F.M.S.R, a
pastiche of T.S. Eliot by Francis P.
• A biennial award in
to recognize
outstanding
published works by
Singaporean authors
in any of the four
official languages.
CATHERINE LIM
• Catherine Lim Poh Imm
• Born: March 21, 1942 in
Kulim, Malaysia
• 8th child among her 14
siblings
• 1963 – Bachelor of Arts
degree at University of
Malaya
• 1988 – Ph.D in applied
linguistics from the
National University of
Singapore
• A Fullbright scholar at the University of
California.
• “Doyen of Singapore stories”
• She has written more than 9 collection of
short stories, 7 novels and poetry books.
• Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore
• The Serpent’s Tooth
• O Singapore! Stories in Celebration