East Asia and the Middle East have long and influential literary traditions. In East Asia, China's unbroken literary tradition dates back to the 14th century BCE and includes great poets from the Tang Dynasty like Du Fu and Li Po. Modern Chinese writers like Yu Hua continue this tradition. Korean literature includes the works of poets like Kim Ok and novelists like Yun Hunggil and Pak Kyongni. The Middle East's Arabic literary tradition grew out of Islam and influenced other regional traditions like Persian and Andalusian. Notable authors include the Egyptian writers Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad, Taha Hussein, and the Syrian poet Ali Ahmad Said Esber known by his pen name Adonis. Israeli writer

1. REPRESENTATIVE TEXTS AND
AUTHORS FROM ASIA

2. EAST ASIA AND MIDDLE EAST
Asia, the largest continent in the world, has a vast literary tradition in terms of
scope and length of existence. Literature in the Eastern hemisphere prospered and
mirrored the developments in religion, war, and politics. It is wise to study the Asian
literature by geographical region.

3. EAST ASIA
China, one of the world9s cradles of civilization, has started its unbroken literary
tradition in the 14th century BCE. The preservation of the Chinese language (both
spoken and written), has made the immeasurable prolonged existence of their
literary traditions possible. It has retained its reputation by keeping the
fundamentals of its identity intact. Poets like Du Fu, Li Po, and Wang Wei of the
Tang Dynasty (618-907), the finest era of Chinese literature, has produced world-
renowned literary works. Chinese writers in modern times are still creative and
productive and have kept the Chinese literary tradition prosperous.

4. DU FU
He is also known as Tu fu.
According to many literary critics,
he was the greatest Chinese poet
of all time. He wrote the poem
“The Ballad of the Army Cats”
which is about conscription-and
with hidden satire that speaks of
the noticeable luxury of the
court.
“The Ballad of the Army
Cats”

8. Yu Hua
He was a world-acclaimed short story
writer and considered as a champion
for Chinese meta-fictional or
postmodernist writing. His widely
acclaimed novel “To Live” describes the
struggles endured by the son of a
wealthy land-owner while historical
events caused and extended by the
Chinese Revolution are fundamentally
altering the nature of Chinese society.

17. Kim ok
He was a Korean poet and included in the
early modernism movement of Korean
poetry. He wrote the first Korean
collection of translation from Western
poetry “The Dance of Agony”.

18. Yun Hunggil
He was a South Korean novelist who won
the 1977 Korean Literature Writers Award.
He wrote the classic novel “Changma”
(The Rainy Spell) that on a post-war family
with two grandmothers and their shared
grandson.

19. Pak Kyongni
She was a South Korean poet and
novelist. She wrote the Korean’s
masterpiece and internationally
acclaimed 21-volume epic novel T9oji
(“The Land”), wherein she chronicled
the violent Korean history from 1897 to
1945.

32. MIDDLE EAST
Arabic literary tradition has been flourishing in the
Middle East. Islam is the foundation of culture in
this region - an essential component. Its literary
tradition has grown and influenced others like
Persian, Byzantine, and Andalusian traditions. In
return, Arabic literature has also been influenced by
other literary traditions of different countries. Even
European literature followed and imitated Arabic
literature. In contemporary times, Arabic writers
experience difficulties in producing their literary
texts due to the issue of freedom of expression and
the tension between religious and secular

33. Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad
He was an Egyptian poet,
journalist, and literary critic, an
innovator of the 20th-century
Arabic poetry and criticism. He
became famous for his
Abqariyat series, a seven-book
compilation that covers the life
of seven of the most important
Sahabah

34. Taha Hussein
He was an Egyptian novelist,
essayist, critic, and an
outstanding figure in
Egyptian literature. His
nickname was “The Dean of
Arabic Literature”. He wrote
the novelized autobiography
“The Days”, one of the most
popular works of modern
Arabic literature that deals
with his childhood in a small
village, then his studies in
Egypt and France.

35. Ali Ahmad Said Esber
He is known also as Adonis as
his pseudonym. He is an award-
winning
Syrian-born Lebanese poet, literary
critic, and is a leader of the modernist
movement in contemporary Arabic
poetry. He was the recipient of
numerous honors, including the 2011
Goethe Prize and the 2017
PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement
in
International. Some of his famous
poems are “First Poems” and “Leaves
in the Wind”.

36. Etgar Keret
He is an Israeli writer
known for his short stories,
graphic novels, and
scriptwriting for film and
television. His 2019 Fly
Already (“Glitch at the Edge
of the Galaxy”) published in
English won Israel’s
prestigious Sapir Prize in
Literature.