2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
• Explain the text(s) in terms of literary
elements, genre, and traditions
• Situate the text(s) in the context of the region,
nation, and the world
• Understand literary meanings in context and
the use of critical reading strategies
4. 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
5. REVIEW
21st Century Literary Genres Definition/Description
5. Speculative fiction Fiction with futuristic setting
and supernatural elements
6. Texttula Poem in text form similar to
“tanaga”
7. Flash fiction Short short story (with 6 words
as the shortest)
8. Graphic novel A novel, narrating a story
using pictures or graphics
7. AWARD-WINNING 21ST CENTURY
ASIAN LITERATURE
1. Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco
2. Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Misty
3. Three Sisters by Bi Feiyu
4. The White Tiger by AravindAdiga
5. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
6. Goat Days by Benyamin
7. 1Q84 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
8. 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
9. 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”
10. 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
11. THE WHITE TIGER BY ARAVIND ADIGA
• Debut novel by Indian
author AravindAdiga
• First published in 2008 and
won the 40th Man Booker
Prize
• It examines issues of
religion, caste, loyalty,
corruption and poverty in
India
12. THE GARDEN OF EVENING MISTS
BY TAN TWAN ENG
• 2nd English novel by a
Malaysian writer
• First published in January
2012
• Critical reviews for the book
were primarily favourable
• Awarded the Man Asian
Literary Prize & Walter Scott
Prize for historical fiction
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. WOLF TOTEM BY JIANG RONG
• 2004 Chinese semi-
autobiographical novel
• Garnered ManAsian
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
17. “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)
18. “GOAT DAYS”
• Benny Daniel
(Benyamin) lived in
the Kingdom of
Bahrain from 1992-
2013 before returning
to Kerala
19. “GOAT DAYS”
• 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.”
20. “GOAT DAYS”
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.”
21. JOHN 15:15
“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the
servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I
have called you friends; for all things I have
heard of my Father I have made known unto
you.”
22. SOURCES
Primary site:
Francis, R. (2018). “10 Ward-Winning Books by Asian
Authors You Should Read.” Retrieved from
theculturetrip.com
Supplementary sites:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.nytimes.com
https://www.independent.co.uk
https://www.theguardian.com
https://paper-republic.org
