Asian Literature
Latest Contributing Articles
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Review – The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
Gossipy, humourous, and ultimately moving, Sei Shonagon's memoirs constitute a remarkable portrait of daily life in the Empress's court during the Heian period in Japan.
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Women in Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day
Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day follows two sisters, Tara and Bim, as they reconstruct their childhood memories of their Old Delhi house, where Tara is visiting Bim.
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Kappa, by Akutagawa Ryunosuke - Book Review
One of the most popular Japanese folktale creatures is "kappa". Among the many kappa folktales, beloved in Japan, is the short-story "Kappa" by Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
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In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami – Book Review
Ryu Murakami offers a bold story that dares the reader to question the possible merits of violence and the monotony of modern society.
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Review: Some Prefer Nettles – Junichiro Tanizaki
Tradition and modernity confront each other as an urbane Tokyo couple face difficulty in divorce amidst Japan in the nineteen twenties.
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Book Review: A Drop of Glass and Other Stories
Sidaoru'ang's writing career has traced major developments of the Thai literary scene.
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Murakami Haruki's Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore is one of Murakami's greatest triumphs, fusing magical realism with a fundamentally unique set of characters to produce a novel unlike any other.
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Japanese Magical Realism
Japan is a culture with a rich background of ghost stories and folktales that have manifested in a surprisingly modern way throughout the last century.
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Lucky Everyday
Lucky Boyce can't catch a break, but is that of her own doing?
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Religion in Manil Suri's The Death of Vishnu
Through Suri's use of religion in The Death of Vishnu he reveals much about Indian culture.
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Review of The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe
Set against a harsh physical landscape, Kobo Abe's novel The Woman in the Dunes examines the intricacies of modern human behavior and questions our existential purpose.
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Book Review – Q & A by Vikas Swarup
Q & A has all the ingredients of a blockbuster Bollywood (Hindi) Masala movie: romance, tragedy, violence and a happy ending.
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Review of The Last Burden by Upamanyu Chatterjee
With a resplendent vocabulary, novelist Upamanyu Chatterjee tells perhaps way too much about the ties that bind and strangle one small urban Indian family.
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Wakako Yamauchi - Songs My Mother Taught Me
The desert acts as a mythical place for the author, turning to the arid place for peace and comfort. A sense of magic surrounds this desert--something she longs for.
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Yukio Mishima's Temple of the Golden Pavilion
Much of Yukio Mishima's life was devoted to finding a solution to Japan's stagnancy and lack of direction after World War II.
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The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is a very important ethical-text in ancient India. It captures the essence of Hinduism and offers us a glimpse of the ancient Indian civilization.
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The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga Reviewed
From an Indian born, Australian raised and British educated journalist comes a stunning first novel of poverty, corruption, desperation and murder.
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The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: Book Review
Contemporary Japanese author Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle manages to shine even brighter than the rest of his dazzling novels.
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After Dark: Book Review
After Dark is Haruki Murakami at his finest - an expertly written metaphysical and mind-bending novel that explores the unknown.
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Book Review: The 3 Mistakes of My Life
Chetan Bhagat's third book became an instant hit in India, selling the first print run in just a few days. Find out why it's no mistake to read The 3 Mistakes of My Life.
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Review: Heartland by Daren Shiau
Heartlands follows 18 year old Foo Wing Seng through his Junior College years and National Service in the Army, touching on issues such as Singaporean National Identity.
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Book Review: One Night at the Call Center
Read Chetan Bhagat's bestselling second book before watching its star-studded Bollywood movie version "Hello," releasing worldwide on October 10.
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Book Review: Empress Orchid by Anchee Min
Anchee Min's attention to detail drowns the characters and plot of an otherwise intensely gripping piece of literature.
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Review: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Set in nineteenth-century China, this national bestseller centers on two women, destined for eternal friendship, whose differences in fate challenge their love.
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Taichi Yamada Sixth Novel Translation
David James Karashima's translation of the fifth novel of Japanese author Tachi Yamada delivers an extraordinary novel in English to follow Strangers.
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