LESSON 6: 21ST Century Asian Literature

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

"Why is Asian literature distinct from other world literature?"

REVIEW

21st Century Literary Genres Definition/Description

1. Spoken Word Poetic performance art that focuses on the aesthetics of word play such as intonation
and voice inflection

2. Chick Lit Literature written by women for women. It portrays how women live in a modern world

3. Hyper-poetry Poetry online that utilizes hyperlinks to sub poems, footnotes, or to poetry with
movements and images

4. Blogs Regularly updated journal on the internet

AWARD-WINNING 21ST CENTURY ASIAN LITERATURE

1. lustrado by Miguel Syjuco

2. Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Misty
3. Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu
4. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
5. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
6. Goat Days by Benyamin
7. 1084 by Haruki Murukami
8. Please Look After Mother by Shin Kyung-sook
9. The Boat to Redemption by Su Tong
10. Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong

ILUSTRADO BY MIGUEL SYJUCO

 2008 experimental novel

 Filipino author, Miguel Syjuco
 It's about a protagonist named after the author, investigating the suspicious death of his
mentor, Crispin Salvador, who exposed a political corruption in the Philippines

CHRONICLES OF A CORPSE BEARER BY CYRUS MISTY

 2012 novel written by an Indian author

 It is about the Parsi community of corpse bearers who carry the dead bodies for burial in
Bombay.
 The idea was derived from research for the initial purpose to make a documentary, which
did not push through
 On a review, it is deemed "hard hitting" and "interesting account of social discrimination"
THREE SISTERS BY BI FEIYU

 2003 novel that garnered the Man Booker Prize for Asian Literature in 2010
 Authored by Bi Feiyu
 It's an account of three sisters struggling to survive in the aftermath of China's Cultural
Revolution

THE WHITE TIGER BY ARAVIND ADIGA

 Debut novel by Indian author Aravind Adiga

 The First published in 2008 and won the 40th Man Booker Prize
 It examines issues of religion, caste, loyalty, corruption and poverty in India

THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS TAN TWAN ENG

 2nd English novel by a Malaysian writer

 First published in January 2012
 Critical reviews for the book were primarily favorable
 Awarded the Man Asian Literary Prize & Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction

1Q84 BY HARUKI MURUKAMI

 A dystopian novel written by Japanese writer

 First published in 3 volumes in Japan last 2009-10
 It features a fictionalized year of 1984 in parallel with a "real" one
 2nd place prize on Amazon's best books of the year 2011

PLEASE LOOK AFTER MOTHER BY SHIN KYUNG-SOOK

 Novel of 2009 in South Korea

 Authored by the first Korean and first woman writer to win the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012
 Sold a million copies within 10 months of release in 2009

THE BOAT TO REDEMPTION BY SU TONG

 Originally published in 2009

 Set during the Cultural Revolution
 Authored by Su Tong (Tong Zhonggui)
 It's a tale dealing with the pitfalls of power and Superstition in 20th century China

WOLF TOTEM BY JIANG RONG

 2004 Chinese semi- autobiographical novel

 Garnered Man Asian Literature Award
 It's about the experiences of a young student from Beijing who was sent to the countryside at
the height of China's Cultural Revolution

"GOAT DAYS”

 2008 Malayalam novel

 It is about an abused migrant worker in Saudi Arabia
 Writer is Benny Daniel
 It is based on real-life events and was a best seller in Kerala
 Won the Kerala Literary Academy Award (2009)
 Benny Daniel (Benyamin) lived in the Kingdom of Bahrain from 1992- 2013 before returning to
Kerala
 Penguin Books India's description of the novel: "Strange and bitter comedy of Najeeb's life in the
desert" and "a universal tale of loneliness and alienation."
 Key Quotations: A way to come out of our sorrow is to listen to the stories of those who endure
situations worse than ours."
 "Her tongue would not utter even a single word of despair...women should be like that; she was
my secret pride."