Asian Literature Singaporean Literature The literature of Singaporean comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporean in any of the country’s four main languages English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. Some of the Singaporean Literature Singaporean Poetry Singaporean Drama Singaporean Fiction Children Literature Singaporean Poetry Example: “ A Letter to Lee Choon Seng” By Khoo Seok Wan In my humble hut These cold, dismal days Sleepless As the rain creates Its endless rhythms You A friend in times of needs Cooking meals to carry me Through inclement weather And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side. Malaysian Literature • • • Shih-li Kow Margaret Lim Hui Lian Natasha Ngan Shih-Li Kow Her book Ripples has been nominated for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize in the first book category. Her book Ripples also appeared in the 2009 shortlist for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. Ripple and Other Stories (2008) The Sum of Our Follies (2014) Japanese Literature - Philippine Literature Authors and their literary works 1. Francisco Baltazar - Florante at Laura 2. Jose Rizal - Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo 3. Marcelo H. Del Pilar - Diariong Tagalog 4. Graciano Lopez-Jaena - La Solidaridad 5. Virgilio S. Almario - Also known as Rio Alma, who has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed modernist poetics. - Makinasyon, Peregrinasyon, Doktrinang Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo, at Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa. 6. Levi Celerio - O Maliwanag na Buwan (Iloko), Ako ay may Singsing (Pampango), Alibangbang (Visaya). He made it to the the Guinness Book of World Records as the only person able to make music using just leaf. - Japanese Artist: 1. Kenzaburo Oe – was born on 1935 in a quiet village in the forests of Shikoku, he began writing seriously at the age of 23 and won the Nobel prize for literature for almost 40 years later, in 1994. The Changling (2010) is his newest novel in translation. 2. Ryu Murakami – he was born in Nagasaki on 1952. A controversial figure in Japanese literature, he wrote his first novel while still in college. From 1976 until today, his written countless novels, short stories, and essays, mainly dealing with dark themes in an even darker Japan: drug use, murder, disillutionment, and war. 3. Mitsuyo Kakuta Woman on the Other Shore (2007) is a compelling novel about everyday life. Anglo-American Literature Goffrey Chaucer – father of English Literature. Jamaican Literature - The Caribbean Island of Jamaica was inhabited by the Arawak tribes prior to the arrival of Columbus on 1949. In early habitants of Jamaica named the land “XAYMACA” meaning ‘Land of Wood and Water” the 18th Century, sugarcane replaced piracy as British Jamaica main source of income. Well known writers and their literary works in Antigua and Barbuda Country Jamaica Kincaid 1. Annie John – is a haunting provocative story of a young girl growing up on the island of Antigua. 2. Lucy 3. The Autobiography of my Mother 4. Mr. Potter 5. See Now Then 6. And Soon Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Spanish Literature - generally refers to literature written in the Spanish Language within the territory that presently constitute the Kingdom of Spain. Famous Authors and their Literary Works Bahamian Literature Writers and their Literary Works Natasha Rufin – is a young writer in her 20s. Published by the college of the Bahamas in 2005, she has published one of her works, titled SUNFLOWER, which features a female heroine learning to deal with her grief following the death of loved one. Toney S. Wong - His works include Mr. Michael Jackson, and Remaining Part of the World. Shawn T. Gardiner – his favorite category is fantasy as he has written THE LIFE STAR, a novel that focuses on a heroine trying to save her planet from ruin. Fay Knowles - LOVE AND SUNSET Alison Albury - LIFE ON A ROCK Elvira Navarro - was included in Granta’s Best of Young Spanish -Language Novelist anthology issue in 2010. La ciudad feliz (The Happy City) (2009) - a novel that brought into focus in immigrant Chinese worker and a homeless Spanish man. Carlos Ruiz Zafón -started his writing career as an author of young adult fiction. The Shadow of Wind (2001) -a novel in which a child discovers and must protect a extremely rare book from a mysterious figure who wishes to destroy it. Belguim Literature Belize Country Belize is an English speaking country on the southern tip of Mexico and is also bordered by Guatemala and Hoduras. Zee Edgell – most of her novels encompass the struggles of the Belizean people. Beka Lamb – this book provided details of the early times within the nationalist movement in British Honduras. George Seymour Gabb – his famous wood sculpture “The Sleeping Giant” is pictured on the $100 dollar Belizean currency note. The Naked Eye The current nation state of Belgium first appeared on the political map of Europe rather haphazardly in 1830 when high-spirited nationalists spilling out of an opera kick-started Belgium’s independence. Nobody thought that the country would last, and indeed, some still doubt that it will. However, the fascinatingly tangled history of the “Low Countries” goes back way before such shenanigans. Famous Author and their Literary Works – Annelies Verbeke The characters Verbeke conjures up in the books and collections of short stories- a genre she’ll defend to the death. “Sleep” 2003 “Thirty Days” 2015 European Literature Great Britain Literature – Dimitri Verhulst He is the spiritual offspring of Flemish literary legend Louis Paul Boon. J.K. Rowling “De Kapellekensbaan” - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone, Harry and the Chamber of Secrets’,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry “The Misfortunates” Netherlands Literature and the reality, and shifting the focus of narration between identifiable characters and unknown but knowing observer. Literary Works Carlos Paolini Jonathan Franzen “The Corrections”- Winner at the National Book award When Adam Lacroft met Death – Its written in English. It is the first trilogy and fantasy novels for young adults, revolving around an underachieving high school students who came face to face wit death after a car accident. Finnish Literature BRAZILIAN LITERATURE – He wrote two of the very best books of the millenniumor. - the oral and written literature produced in • Is the literature written in the Portuguese language by Brazilians or in Brazil, including works written prior to the country’s independence in 1822. • Throughout its early years, literature from Brazil followed the literary trends of Portugal. Finland. History -Begins around 9,000 BC during the end of last glacial period. Stone Age cultures were Kunda, Comb Ceramic, Cordade Ware, Kuikainen, and Pölijä cultures. The Finnish Bronze Age started in approximately 1,500 BC and the Iron Age started in 500 BC and lasted until 1,300 AD. 1. Paulo Coelho - Is a novel and major book of Paulo Coelho that touches the theme of Adultery. And it’s Portuguese edition was released on April 10, 2014. Johanna Sinisalo -is a Finnish science fiction and fantasy writer. o Not Before Sundown (2000) o The Core of the Sun (2013) o The Blood of Angels (2011) o Birdbrain (2010) o Lasisilmä (2006) Adultery Costa Rica Literature Salla Simukka -is a best- selling Finnish novelist, translator and literary critic. o As Red As Blood (2013) o As White As Snow (2013) o As Black As Ebony (2014) o The Snow White Trilogy (2016) Has roots in colonization and is marked by European influences. Because Costa Rica is a young country, its literary tradition was also young. Famous Authors and their literary works: 1. Carlos Luis Fallas Sibaja Mamita Yunai Describes the life in the Costa Rican Atlantic Coast during the early mid XX century. 2. Carmen Naranjo There Never was a Once upon a time Ecuador Literature Its history is due to the Political turmoil that sometimes goes on in this country, many of its citizens have taken to using graffiti to get their messages across. Authors and their Literary Works Latin-American Literature Venezuelan Literature Israel Centeno The Conspiracy – has a dreamlike or nightmarish quality blurring line between the fantasy Juan Montalvo Cosmopolita – this includes themes on women, liberty, religious ideologies, poetry, and freedom of the press to name a few. Jorge Velasco Mackenzie La casa del fabulante – recounts his experience in a detoxification center, which he attended due to his problems with alcoholism. Mexican Literature The original literature of Mexico dates back to the indigenous settlements of Mesoamerica, but with the arrival of the Spanish many baroque writers couldn’t help but capture a more localized view on Mexican culture. As a result, many writings include a hybrid and mixed tone of these two cultures. Luis Spota – President of the World Boxing Council and author whose books inspired at least two films. He wrote more than thirty books in Spanish. That as of today has translated into English. His works was the film, Mas cornadas da el hambre (Wounds of Hunger) - Is about the dangerous world of bullfighting. La sangre enemiga (The enemy blood) - Features a group of clowns who perform on the streets. Jaime Sabines – this poet born in 1926, addressed deep themes in his emotional poems. Love, Death, and Loneliness. Also called as the “Sniper of Literature”. His works was translated in 12 different languages. Los amorosos: Cartas a Chepita African Literature There are 54 nations which make up Africa. Each of these separate countries has their own history, culture, tribes and traditions. Defining African literature can be complicated. There are some authors to believe African literature can only be composed in African literature languages. Madagascar The fruit of their combined "fifty Years" of research and writing. A welcome addition the rare academic reference on the general history of Madagascar. Kingdom of Egypt Main Idea Egypt was one of the most stable and long-lasting civilizations of the ancient world. A story of a popular pharaoh who carried off a mysterious disease then speaks to us in this life beyond the veil of death. Famous Literary Works (Oeuvres Complétes by Albert Cossery) The two volumes of his complete work highlight the magnificent talent an obvious coherence of this writer’s text. The Pyramids Largest located near Giza Built as tombs for rulers Hollow chamber for burial Treasures buried with them Deadly traps within Design changed to smooth-sided over time The Pharaohs • The head of the government was the king • Became known as pharaoh (“great house”) • Had great power because he was believed to be a god • Egypt a theocracy, a state ruled by religious figures Brief history Two thousand years ago, the island of Madagascar was likely uninhibited. No one knows where those first inhabitants hailed from, but over the centuries Madagascar developed its own distinctive language and cultural system. (Voices from the other World by Naguib Mahfouz) Osiris, Isis and Horus • Osiris introduced civilization into Egypt • Brother Seth killed Osiris, scattered pieces of his body around Egypt • Wife Isis reassembled pieces and brought Osiris back to life • Osiris became new judge of dead, replacing Anubis ( Ethies ET Ethicite by Solofo Randrianja ) This book brings together multidisciplinary research on the historical, linguistic, anthropological and religious dimensions of ethnicity in Madagascar. ( Madagascar short story by Stephen Ellis ) Hathor and Thoth • Hathor was the cow-headed goddess of love • Thoth was the god of wisdom • There were also local gods with power over small areas or single households influenced by his instructors. In his own work, Schapera emphasized the empirical and historical perspective. Gods and Goddesses Rose Moss Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, has lived in the United States since 1964. Her most recent book, In Court, a Penguin Modern Classic, presents prize-winning stories about exile, disruption, faith, reconciliation and justice. Among her more than forty short stories one won a Quill Prize from the Massachusetts Review and another a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award. Several have been cited in Best American Short Stories, nominated for Pushcart prizes, selected for anthologies in the United States and abroad and translated. Her nonfiction has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Atlantic Monthly and similar publications and in scholarly journals. LIBYA In 2006 with the opening of Libya to the United States the nature of the novel changed. A reasonably large number of Libyan Writers today seem to be women in their late twenties and early thirties and six others as the Libyan short-story writers 'who have gained most prominence in the first decade of the new century'. Mansour Bushnaf SOUTH AFRICA Brief history South African literature, the body of writings in either Afrikaans or English produced in what is now the Republic of South Africa. The rest of African literature is treated in African literature. South Africa was colonized by Europeans against the resistance of Africans and was for some time afterward a battlefield between Briton and Boer. Although South Africa became independent in 1910, the nation’s varied ethnic constituents have not yet been unified in a harmonious whole, and the tension arising from the unequal relations between blacks and whites is the authentic note of much South African literature. Isaac Schapera (born June 23, 1905, Garies, South Africa—died June 26, 2003, London, England), South African social anthropologist known for his detailed ethnographic and typological work on the indigenous peoples of South Africa and Botswana. Schapera received an M.A. from the University of Cape Town and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His work was (born October 22, 1954)[1] is a Libyan writer. He began his literary career as a playwright and essayist, before writing his debut novel Chewing Gum (novel) which was banned in 2008 in Libya Bushnaf’s essays have appeared in the Al-Hayat, Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Al-Arab and Al-Wasat. The English translation of his novel, Chewing Gum (novel), was published in 2014. He currently lives and writes in Tripoli. (Chewing Gum) The novel centres around Mukhtar, whose father, Omar Efendi, was in the Royal Police Force, and his mother, Rahma, was from a Turco-Libyan family; Mukhtar stands frozen for ten years like a statue in the middle of public park in Libyan capital Tripoli after he was abandoned by his lover, the young and promiscuous Fatma. While the country is gripped with a chewing gum craze, different Libyan professors that just came from their studies abroad try to rediscover the country and suggest different theories to explain a society gripped with chewing gum and consumerism
