Asian and African Literature
Asian and African literature offers rich narratives that explore the culture, society and conflicts of their times. In medieval Japan, Sei Shōnagon's The Pillow Book and Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji highlight life in the imperial court, and are some of the first literary works written by women and precursors of the modern novel.
In Turkey, Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk's Snow reflects on identity, politics and religion, addressing the dilemmas between tradition and modernity in the country.
African literature, marked by colonialism and its consequences, found strong expression in authors such as Wole Soyinka from Nigeria, with The Lion and the Jewel, a play that discusses the impacts of Western culture on African society. In Kenya, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, in A Grain of Wheat, addressed the country’s struggle for independence and the scars left by British rule.
These works represent global literary diversity and show how Asian and African literature continue to influence readers around the world, bringing new perspectives and essential voices to the literary landscape.
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