Asian Novels Go Global: Implications in Our Classrooms

• Main Author: Guevarra, Alona Ureta
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2019
• Subjects: Global literature; Asian literature; translated fiction; English Language and Literature; Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/english-faculty-pubs/177; https://unipress.ateneo.edu/product/education-globalizing-asia-challenges-and-opportunities#:~:text=Education%20for%20a%20Globalizing%20Asia%3A%20Challenges%20and%20Opportunities%20is%20a,underwent%20to%20promote%20global%20competitiveness.
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Globalization created opportunities for some literary works of national stature to get translated and read in different contexts. This situation has created the circulation of what is emerging to be a global literature" a conglomeration of literature that has become more conscious of a global readership and is open to its transformation into translations. Global literature naturally includes texts translated into English because these works are more accessible to more readers worldwide. There are two elements to consider in classifying a work as global literature: first is the transcultural quality of the work; and second; the accessibility of the work to the most number of readers; thus the current race for translation into English. This paper discusses the journey through translation from the nation to the globe of three 21st century Asian novels: 1Q84 by Murakami Haruki of Japan; Your Republic is Calling You by Young-ha Kim of Korea and Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan of the Philippines. Through the discussion of these novels___ global circulation this paper also discusses approaches in teaching such Asian-global literature in our classrooms."