In the time of COVID-19 pandemic when the world and our daily lives have drastically changed and cross-border travel been restricted, what are the thoughts of Asian authors and what messages do they wish to deliver to their readers?

This has let to a start of the Asian Literature Project "YOMU" (meaning "read" in Japanese) which will feature new stories written by 27 Asian authors from Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam in multiple languages. The project will also introduce today's literary arts scene in Asia by featuring various reports and interviews.

Portrayal of Today's Asia in Literature (Short Stories and Essays)

27 short stories and essays will be delivered by Asian authors who started their career in the 2000s or later and are expected to continue writing at home and abroad. The grand theme for this writing project is Asia under the global pandemic and in the post COVID-19 era. The works will be available in Japanese, English and source languages. Please enjoy the cultural and linguistic diversity in the region.

Click below for more information on writers and works.
List of Works (PDF)

• Malaysia
• Vietnam
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Thailand
• Cambodia
• India

Literary Arts Scene in Asia

In this part, you will find reports, interviews, online seminars etc., related to the topic of "reading" in each country.

Update

• Renaissance of Life: Celebration of Humanity in Time of Difficulty (Roundtable talk / India)
• Kanishka Gupta Spoke regarding the Publication Trend in India (Interview / India)
• Reading between the Lines (Report / India)
• Malayalam Publishing during the Pandemic (Report / India)
• Writers and Readers of Feminist Books in India: A Brief Overview (Report / India)
• "Reimaging" Northeast India (Report / India)
• Some Thoughts on the Reading Culture of Bengal (Report / India)
• Golden Realms: Inheriting the Panay Sugidanun (Report / Philippines)
• From Film Adaptations to Young Vietnamese People's Growing Interest in Japanese Literature (Report / Vietnam)
• "Watching" to "Reading" at Faculty of Literature and Linguistics, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education (Report / Vietnam)
• The Change from "Watching Activities" to "Reading Activities" for Japanese Literary Works in Vietnam Today (Report / Vietnam)
• Literary Festivals in Indonesia (Interview / Indonesia)
• "Cemeteries Are Everyday Life"―Five Indonesian Writers Talk Pandemic Normality (Roundtable talk / Indonesia)
• A Brief Tour of the Malaysian Book Scene (Report / Malaysia)
• Hybrid Print-News-Social Media and the Rise of the Thai Youth Movement in the 2020s (Report / Thailand)
• "We Are a Nation of Wounds" (Interview / Indonesia)
• The Myth in Thailand of What It Means to "Read" (Report / Thailand)
• The Future of Southeast Asian Literature: Connecting Authors and Readers (Roundtable talk / Japan)