ALCEL JOYCE S.

ANSING
BSED-ENGLISH III

1. AFRICA

According to Britannica, African literature is the body of traditional oral and written literature in
Afro-Asiatic and African languages together with works written by Africans in European languages. It
consists of works that are written in different languages, the native languages in Africa with over
2,000 languages and dialects (Atienza, NP) and the influence of colonization such as the European
languages French, Portuguese, and English. They had oral literature through stories, proverbs, riddles,
poems, and epics. Belcher (NP) explains that it is mistakenly believed that African literature starts in
the late 1950s as the result of colonization. Africa is a savage Caliban, having rich culture, including
their own literature, who is introduced to writing by a European Prospero and “Things Fall Apart” is
his first articulation. The aforementioned novel is Chinua Achebe’s first novel written in English, which
is about their culture and lifestyle and it showed the negative effects of the colonizers.

2. PERSIA

World history states that the first evidence of Persian literature is usually dated to c. 522 BCE with
the creation of the Behistun Inscription of Darius I (the Great, r. 522-486 BCE). The literature of Persia
is among the oldest in the world, and it influenced the literatures of Ottoman Turkey, Muslim India
and Turkic Central Asia. One example of Persian Literature is the novel titled “The Blind Owl,” written
by Sadegh Hedayat, which is said to be a story of an unnamed pen case painter who drifts into
insanity after losing his mysterious lover.

3. ARABIA

Arabic literature began in the late 5th century, two hundred years before the advent of Islam, a
period known as the Pre-Islamic period. This period is also called Jahiliyyah or period of ignorance,
according to the New World Encyclopedia. Arabic literature became known to English readers when
the works of their prominent authors were translated. One famous Arabian literature, aside from
their finest piece, Quran, is “The Chronicles of Majnun Layla” by Qassim Haddad, with its theme of ill-
fated lovers and feuding tribes.

4. CHINA

Chinese literature includes poetry, history, and fiction. It started to flourish back at least to the 14 th
Century BCE. Ancient Chinese script evolved from the practice of divination during the Shang Dynasty
(1600-1046 BCE). World history states that the earliest written works in China are ghost stories and
myths. They started writing through perishable materials like wood, bamboo, or silk. With thousands
of literary pieces in China, to give a gist of their literature’s beauty, one of the classic novels in China is
written by Wu Cheng'en that has the title “Journey to the West” or Xi You Ji. It revolves around
Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who travels west to India with his four disciples, including the famous
monkey king Sun Wukong, in search for holy scriptures. Being satirical while representing historical
events made it famous.

5. INDIA

Indian literature produced literary pieces in different languages across India. The earliest form of
Indian literature dates back to 1500-1200 BCE. The first ever ancient Indian literature was Sanskrit
literature comprising of Rig Veda, the Ramayana and Mahabharata which were written in first
millennium BCE. Traditionally, just like most countries, Indian literature started orally. As mentioned,
a great ancient literary creation in India is Ramayana, composed in Sanskrit by the poet Valmik, which
focuses on the love between Sita and Rama.
6. JAPAN

The writings in Japan was introduced from China in the 5th century via the Korean peninsula. This
means that Japanese literature used to be written in Chinese and was influenced by the Chinese
culture. Since then, however, there has never been a period when literature was not being produced
by Japanese authors (New World Encyclopedia, NP). Their literature comprised of different literary
genres such as poetry, drama, and novels. As they further developed their literary culture, then
came one of their famous literature by Murasaki Shikibu, “The Tale of Genji,” which is an
introduction to the culture of the aristocracy in early Heian Japan.

7. KOREA

Just like Japan, Korean poetry and fiction were mostly written in imitation of (Classical) Chinese
models by the 4th century. Korea used Chinese characters then shifted to Hangul, their own writing
system, that existed in the mid-15th century. According to the British Council, when Koreans began to
write and publish modern fiction using their language and their own writing system, their main
themes were individual freedom and the tensions between older and younger generations. To give a
good illustration anent Korean literature, one of their famous poetry include Sijo, written by Yi
Byeonggi. It is the longest-enduring and most popular form of Korean poetry which are three-line
poems in which each line has 14 to 16 syllables.

8. THAILAND

According to Britannica, the earliest literature in Thailand, that of the Sukhothai period (13th to
mid-14th century), survives chiefly in stone inscriptions, which provide vivid accounts of
contemporary life. It is said that Thai literature was influenced by Indian culture. In fact, Thailand’s
national epic called Ramakien, is their own version of India’s Ramayana. Thai’s literature is written in
verse and the only ones who can do so are the educated class or the royalty. Hence, they’re the ones
who have produced outstanding works. Further anent Ramakien, it is a fascinating tale about good
triumphing over evil. It had many versions, but the first one was prepared under the supervision (and
partly written by) King Rama I.

9. PHILIPPINES

Philippine literature, despite being influenced by colonizers through years, already evolved before
colonization. The literature of the Philippines before was predominantly a reflection of the indigenous
culture and traditions of the land. They used to write on bamboo and the arecaceae palm and used
knives for inscribing their early writing system, Baybayin. Their works were then adoptive and was
influenced by the colonizers, making it is full of legends and tales of colonial legacy. The usual themes
were socio-political issues and nationalism. One of the most famous literary piece in the country was
of course written by their national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and it is titled “Noli Mi Tangere.” The novel
explores the FIlipinos’ point of view about inequities in law and practice and the unfair treatment by
the ruling government, which was the Spaniards at that time.

10. SINGAPORE

Singaporean literature, like other asian countries, have their works written in many languages such
as English, Malay, Standard Mandarin and Tamil. Their literature portrayed various aspects of their
society and significant parts of their culture. It is unclear, however, which was the first literature
published but more works emerged during their independence in 1965. Their literary works also
included poetry, drama, and fiction. One notable works from Singapore is the novel “If We Dream Too
Long” by Goh Poh Seng. It explores the dilemmas and challenges faced by its hero.