Lecture #2

21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World

A. Representative Texts and Authors from Asia

1. Miguel Syjuco
 Filipino writer from Manila
 grand prize winner of the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize for
Illustrado
2. Bi Feiyu
 is a Chinese writer.
 His works are known for their complex portrayal of the "female
psyche."
 Three Sisters garnered the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Asian
Literature
3. Shin Kyung-sook
 the first Korean writer to win the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012
for her novel, Please Look After Mother
4. Govind Vinayak Karandikar
 better known as Vindā
 an Indian poet, writer, literary critic, and translator in the Marathi-
language
 One of his famous works is The Wheel
Marathi- language is an Indo-Aryan language of western and central India.
5. Yosuke Tanaka
 He was born in Tokyo and debut as a poet in the prestigious literary
magazine Eureka at the age of 19.
 the poems he has written, A Day When the Mountains are Visible
(1999), and Sweet Ultramarine Dreams in (2008)

B. Representative Texts and Authors from North America

1. James Brendan Patterson
 has written 147 novels since 1976
 His greatest influence, he said later, was probably Evan S. Connell's 1959 debut
novel Mrs. Bridge.
 He published his first novel in 1976 called The Thomas Berryman Number.
2. Nicholas Sparks
 an American novelist, screenwriter, and Philanthropist from North Carolina
 Eleven of his novels have been adapted to film, including;
1. The Choice
2. The Longest Ride
3. The Best of Me
4. Safe Haven
5. The Lucky One
6. Message in a Bottle
7. A Walk to Remember
8. Nights in Rodanthe
9. Dear John
10. The Last Song
11. The Notebook
3. John Green
 is an American author and YouTube content creator
 He intended to become an Episcopal priest, but his experiences of working in a
hospital with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses inspired him to become
an author
  He won the 2006 Printz Award for his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and his
fourth solo novel, The Fault in Our Stars,
4. Suzanne Collins
 Born in Hartford, Connecticut
 The author of the The Hunger Games
5. Billy Collins
 His poetry reflects modern American life.
 His work is so popular because he uses the everyday situations that most Americans
deal with to connect with audiences.

C. Representative Texts and Authors from Europe

1. Joanne Rowling
 a British writer and philanthropist
 best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series and with her pen name
J.K. Rowling
2. Stephen Edwin King
 An American writer of various genres such as horror, supernatural fiction, and suspense
 He was described as the King of Horror
 He also has pen names: Richard Bachman, John Swithen, and Beryl Evans.
3. Neil Richard Mackinnon Gaiman
 listed in the Dictionary of Literary Biography as one of the top ten living post-modern
writers and is a prolific creator of works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song
lyrics, and drama
 received the Newbery Medal for his distinguished contribution to literature for children
for The Graveyard Book (2008), then an adult novel The Ocean at the End of the
Lane (2013).
 A British author whose work crosses genres and reaches audiences of all ages.
4. George Raymond Richard Martin
 also known as GRRM and George R.R. Martin.
 known for his international bestselling series of epic fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and
Fire
 An American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and television producer.

D. Representative Texts and Authors from Latin America

Latin American Literature History
 Magical Realism
 Etymology - The term “magischer realismus,” which translates to “magic realism,”
was first used in 1925 by German art critic Franz Roh. He used the term to describe the
“Neue Sachlichkeit,” or New Objectivity, a style of painting that was popular in
Germany at the time and was an alternative to the romanticism of expressionism.
 Definition - Magical realism is a genre of literature that depicts the real world as having
an undercurrent of magic or fantasy. Magical realism is a part of the realism genre of
fiction.
 As a Genre - Within a work of magical realism, the world is still grounded in the real
world, but fantastical elements are considered normal in this world. Like fairy tales,
magical realism novels and short stories blur the line between fantasy and reality.
Characteristics
 Realistic setting
 Magical elements
 Limited information
 Critique
 Unique plot structure
1. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
 was a famous Columbian novelist, short story writer, journalist, screenwriter
 He was known as Gabo and considered as one of the greatest authors of 20th century.
2. Carlos Fuentes Macías
 A Mexican novelist, essayist and one of the most admired writers in Spanish
speaking world.
 Among his works are The Death of Artemio Cruz, Aura, Terra Nostra, The Old
Gringo and Christopher Unborn
3. Mario Vargas Llosa
 is a Peruvian-Spanish writer whose commitment to social change is evident in his novels,
plays, and essays and was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature
 Wrote about this experience in “A Fish in the Water: A Memoir” (1993)
4. Julia Alvarez
 is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist
 one of the most significant Latina writers
 Her notable award was the National Medal of Arts (2014) from President Obama
 known for works that examine cultural expectations of women