Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth is a valuable resource for first-year students as well as for students throughout their degree. The book offers a comprehensive understanding of oppressive socio-economic political structures, forms of resistance and defiance, and when violence becomes justifiable. The book is often challenging, disturbing, and thought-provoking, making it an ideal addition to any university syllabus.
Malgudi Omnibus, a compilation of R K Narayan’s works, is a must-read for literature students. Narayan’s books are often set in the fictional town of Malgudi, where he explores a wide range of themes, including large social issues, such as India’s sterilisation programme. Narayan’s writing is marked by his ability to masterfully set the scene and his gently devastating comic technique. Although his work has Western champions, such as Graham Greene and John Updike; we need to ensure that his legacy lives on with younger students.
Li Ruzhen’s Flowers in the Mirror is a fantastic Chinese novel from 1827. This classic of the Qing Dynasty period is a tale of fantasy filled with philosophy, tense quest plot-lines, and a remarkable exploration of feminism. The novel subverts traditional gender roles in a realistic, resilient, revolutionary, and humorous way.
Samskara by U R Ananthamurthy is one of the most notable Indian novels of the twentieth century. The story follows the priest of a small south Indian village as he leaves after encountering a dilemma that cannot be resolved using ancient scriptures. On his journey, he encounters a prostitute, leading to comic and unsettling adventures. Samskara is a brilliantly crafted story that portrays a country at the cusp of modernity.
Betool Khedairi’s Absent takes place in Baghdad during the 1990s and follows the journey of a young woman named Dalal. Despite the rigid sanctions and daily hardships she faces, the story remains delicate and finely balanced showing great resilience in the face of adversity. Through humor and innovation, the characters reinvent themselves repeatedly to survive.
Naguib Mahfouz’s Palace Walk is a part of the Cairo Trilogy, following the story of the al-Jawad family for thirty years to the end of World War II. Mahfouz, the first Arab to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, drew inspiration from both nineteenth-century literature giants such as Balzac and Zola and modernism to create an epic tale rooted in the heart of Egypt.
Graeme Macrae Burnet, the author of His Bloody Project, was nominated for the 2016 Man Booker Prize. Meanwhile, Chika Unigwe etches out the lives of four ordinary Nigerian women who end up in the prostitution trade in Belgium in her book On Black Sisters’ Street. Although the essence of their stories lies in their complicated circumstances, they are portrayed as mindful individuals capable of making their own choices. The novel’s setting spans over two countries, and explores themes and experiences that are typically demonised, objectified or trivialised. Unigwe boldly places the lives of invisible black women in the forefront and creates compelling literature that is humorous, shocking and potent. Bernardine Evaristo, a creative writing professor, regards Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter as a must-read. Written in 1980, the book documents the trajectory of a West-African woman’s adversities, her complexities, and her evolution from a young girl to a widow. The novel takes the form of Ramatoulaye Fall’s letter to her closest friend in the United States. Its beauty lies in the protagonist’s unfiltered honesty, which feels like an intimate look into the private world of an introspective woman. It is a staple text for African literature courses but deserves a more universal readership. Aminatta Forna, a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, recommends the Dhammapada – the Buddhist text – written in the 3rd century BC. This timeless tome comprises Gautama Buddha’s teachings and sayings on the human experience. The slim book illuminates universal afflictions such as envy, suffering, fear, greed and despair. It also proposes a framework of wise and mindful living that can lead to liberation from psychological frailties. Robert Doyle, the author of Here Are the Young Men, advocates staying tuned to Guardian Students via Twitter at @GdnStudents and applying for membership to access our weekly newsletter and exclusive benefits.
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