The Asian Review has achieved a remarkable milestone, ascending from 13th position in 2023 to 10th in Feedspot’s global literary magazine rankings. Competing amongst 2,500 publications worldwide, this achievement reflects genuine reader engagement from 40 million monthly visitors across 195 countries, establishing the magazine as Asia’s premier literary voice.
When she faced one of the original Sunflowers paintings, back in that distant summer, at that same museum, she had felt a surge of inexplicable tender joy, mixed with sadness. It had a pale yellow background and it was a copy of one of the first four versions that Van Gogh had painted in the summer of 1888 in Arles.
Han Kang’s literary landscape is one where beauty and brutality coexist in uncomfortable proximity, where the body becomes both canvas and battlefield for psychological and historical trauma. Her prose, marked by crystalline precision that renders the unbearable tangible, transforms collective wounds into universal meditations on human existence.
As The Asian Review Sinhala prepares to enter this new phase on 1st June 2025, it stands as a testament to the enduring value of literature and the importance of community-driven cultural initiatives. In choosing independence and forging international partnerships, the publication is not merely ensuring its own sustainability but is actively contributing to the enrichment of Sri Lanka’s literary landscape.
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ emerges as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary African literature, establishing herself through work that interrogates Nigerian society whilst maintaining unflinching commitment to authentic storytelling. Her nuanced exploration of marriage, family dynamics, and societal expectations creates literature that resonates both locally and globally.
When you are fighting for livelihood and life, the language and idioms acceptable are those used by power structures and governments.
Manu Dash is a bilingual poet, editor, translator, publisher and director of the Odisha Art & Literature Festival. An author of almost thirty books, Dash joined the Anam Writers Movement—an anti-establishment movement in Odia literature—shortly before the imposition of Emergency in India in 1975. He is the founder of Dhauli Books, which won the prestigious Publishing Next Industry Award for the Best Printed Book of the Year (Indian Languages) in 2018.
Addonia’s emphasis on the body as the primary site of both oppression and liberation distinguishes his approach. Unlike the cool intellectual distance that characterizes much postcolonial critique, Addonia insists on the primacy of physical experience.
In Delhi, there lived a critic- his name was Venkat Swaminathan. I was in touch with him from the time I first moved to Delhi in 1978 until 1982. In 1979, he sublet a room in his house to me. Generally, I don’t ask anyone the usual ‘Indian’ questions, such as, where they work, if they are married, how many kids they have, or whether they own or rent their house.
Dominique Lapierre’s City of Joy transforms statistical poverty into visceral human experience through meticulous research and compelling storytelling. Yet this powerful narrative of Calcutta’s slums raises uncomfortable questions about Western perspectives on Eastern suffering, embodying both the possibilities and profound limitations of cross-cultural understanding in contemporary literature.
” In an era when gadgets and media are conspiring to shorten the attention spans of readers, turning human beings into cyborgs, or even worse- living, breathing AI models, I see the act of sitting in your favorite spot with your favorite beverage and sinking into your book as an act of silent rebellion. “
Shirani Rajapakse’s Offerings to the Blue God takes its reader along the least taken paths in the Isla’s life. The stories are characterised by a dynamic writing and presentation style, a unique voice that Rajapakshe’s stories often carry, and an unparalleled level of integrity that shines through in each story.
An aspiring writer who used to address complex issues strategically and confidently through my work, Olvens Louissaint is mainly committed to standing for the well-being of humanity and awarded with many international accolades. Some of his poems appeared in many international Anthologies and Magazines and his short stories and essays are also published in several journals
Rohan Monteiro’s Shadows Rising brings to life an unlikely hero-irreverent, witty and foul-mouthed-who seems to not have a care in the world. Until someone crosses a line. it is an exciting, fresh and unique take on timeless Indian myths told from the POV of a protagonist who might just be a lot more involved in the epics than he cares to admit.
But nowadays we are more aware of racism and other forms of bigotry, which fed all kinds of oppression and subjugation of peoples in the past.
This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important.
It is a romanced attempt by a twenty-first-century Western European to read into the mind of a 16th-century Indian monarch
Themed on “Peace”, the short-story contest received a total of 72 entries from Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Kingdom of Eswatini, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Poland, Malawi, The Gambia, Sri Lanka, USA, Botswana and Tanzania. The jurors include Dr. Paula O. M. Otukile (Botswana), Camilla Bauer (Sweden), Henry Akubuiro (Nigeria), Rupasinghe D. Pramudith (Sri Lanka), and Alexander Nderitu (Kenya).
The Asian Group of Literature has immense pleasure in announcing that the secound edition of The Asian Prize for Short Story is now open for submissions. The Asian Prize for Short Story is introduced in order to create a global platform of appreciation for outstanding work of short stories written by writers around the world.
Besides the nominations by the affiliated bookclubs of The Asian Group, the Prize is now open for submissions by the publishers. The submissions will be accepted till 15th February 2025.
The Asian Review 