the problem with japanese and chinese lit, of course, is that they're not first written in english. and so it depends on the translator to do a good job. cause it's not just the story and the words. it's the tone, the quality, of the book. you need to keep that. and, of course, it's hard.
west asians lit is a little like japanese stuff in that it's very solemn. reverent and... thoughtful. but japanese lit seems more ...existential? chinese lit i like least. they try too hard to make a point. it's too exagerated and therefore unbelieveable. it's simply too hard to connect with the characters.
i think by far, west lit is the most beautiful. the language, the imagry, the colors even... it's just... it seems more intricate and gorgeous. i had read a couple things before my classes and loved the tone of each of those books. but taking a class in it made me realize that this quality i had so admired was like... a characteristic of their culture's lit. it's amazing. i think it's easier too. cause they write in english anyway.
recommended books: jhumpa lahiri's interpreter of maladies. i had picked this up at a library years before and just loved it. then i took the class and was very pleasantly surprised to find that we would be reading it too. it's a book of short stories and is everything i love about west asain lit. agha shahid ali's the half-inch himalayas. this is a short book of collected poems. there are many very beautiful works in here. khaled hosseini's the kite runner. a ny times bestseller. a rather heartbreaking tale of a boy growing up. salman rushdie. he's a notable author whom i just can't make up my mind about. i read east, west which i didn't like at all (too expiremental i thought). but i did enjoy midnight's children. i really should read the satanic verses. which is sort of what made him famous, but i just haven't gotten around to it yet.. eh.
