The term "South Asian literature" refers to the literary works of writers from the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora. ... South Asian literature is written in English as well as the many national and regional languages of the region.
2. South Asian Literature
• "South Asian literature" refers to the literary works of writers from
the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora.
• South Asian literature's writers are linked include
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
• South Asian literature is related to the literature written in English by
authors who were either born in South Asia or who identify
themselves with that region.
• Works from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tibet, and the Maldives
are sometimes also included.
3. Prominent features of south Asian English
literature
• South Asian Literature represents widely cast diasporas
• Some authors use formal English, while others play with the
boundaries of language, merging English prefixes with local words or
phrases, or writing English in the cadences of local languages
• These Writers originate geographically and culturally from India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Afghanistan
and have relocated to the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada,
Australia and African countries
4. Major Topics
South Asian Literature presents writers’ observations of
topics such as
• The legacy of the British empire
• Struggles for independence
• The 1947 partition of India and Pakistan and the
unprecedented accompanying violence
• The migration of Hindus and Muslims across the new borders
5. Major Topics
• Indo Pakistan war of 1971, which lead to the founding of
Bangladesh
• The conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the
Tamil minority,
• Racism and the caste system
• The experience of plantation laborers
• The experience of the new immigrant
6. On an overarching level, the literature examines
notions of
• Nationalism and transnationalism
• Identity and language
• The individual and the collective
• Authenticity and hybridity
• Home and homeland
• The collision of the ancient and the modern.
7. English In South Asia
• English was introduced to South Asia in the early 17th century
• It is spoken as a second language by about 33 million people,
3% of the total population.
• Beginning in the 19th century, particularly during the height
of British control over the subcontinent, Western literary
models had an impact on Indian literature
8. English In South Asia
• The most striking result being the introduction of the use of
vernacular prose on a major scale.
• Such forms as the novel and short story began to be adopted
by Indian writers, as did realism and an interest in social
questions and psychological description.
• A tradition of literature in English was also established in the
subcontinent.
9. Historical Facts
• The first book written by an Indian in English was The Travels
of Dean Mahomet, a travel narrative by Sheikh Dean
Muhammad published in England in 1794.
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838–1894)
wrote Rajmohan's Wife and published it in 1864; it is the first
Indian novel written in English.
10. Early 20th Century
• several Indian writers have distinguished themselves not only in
traditional Indian Language but also in English.
• As a result of British colonization, India has developed its own
unique dialect of English.
• Indian English typically follows British spelling and pronunciation
as opposed to American, and books published in India reflect this
phenomenon.
• Indian English literature, however, tends to utilize more
internationally recognizable vocabulary then does colloquial
Indian English.
11. Early 20th Century
• Raja Rao (1908–2006), Indian philosopher and write
authored Kanthapura and The Serpent and the Rope, which
are Indian in terms of their storytelling qualities.
• Kisari Mohan Ganguli translated the Mahabharata into
English, the only time the epic has ever been translated in
into a European language.
12. Early 20th Century
• Dhal Gopal Mukerji (1890–1936) was the first Indian author
to win a literary award in the United States.
• India's only Nobel laureate in literature was the Bengali
writer Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) who wrote some of
his work originally in English, and did some of his own English
translations from Bengali.
13. Late 20th Century
•From 1947 to onwards
•English is additional language
•English is second or third language
•The major features which contribute to the
distinctiveness of South Asian English are varied
and complex.
14. Late 20th Century
Indian English Writers
• The Indian writers from late 20th century Salman
Rushdie, Arundhiti Roy, Kiran Desai the daughter of a
renowned writer Anita Desai and Arvind Adiga have won the
prestigious Man Booker Prize.
• Nayantara Sehgal, Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghos, Jumpa lehiri,
Chetan Bhaghat and many others are some prominent
names
15. Late 20th Century
English Literature in Pakistan
English language poetry of Pakistan from the beginning held a
special place in South Asian writing, notably with the work of
Shahid Surharwardy, Ahmad Ali, Alamgir Hashmi, Daud Kamal,
Taufiq Rafat, and Maki Qureshi,
and later of M. Athar Tahir, Waqas Ahmed Khwaja, Omer Tarin,
Hina Babar Ali and others
16. Late 20th Century
Pakistani English Fiction
• Fiction from Pakistan began to receive recognition in the latter part of
the 20th century, with the popularity of the Parsi author Bapsi Sidhwa
who wrote The Crow Eaters, Cracking India (1988).
• After the earlier reputations Ahmad Ali, and Zulfikar Ghouse had been
made in international fiction. In the diaspora,HanifKureshi commenced
a prolific career with the novel The Buddah of Suburbia (1990), which
won the Whitbread Award.
• Aamer Hussaen wrote a series of acclaimed short story collections.
• Sara Suleri published her literary memoir, Meatless Days (1989).
