Popular Asian Poetry Books
Find poetry books written by authors from Asia for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (18)
11.
Syria12.
The Broken Wings by Kahlil Gibran EN
LebanonDescription:
This is the exquisitely tender story of love that beats desperately against the taboos of Oriental tradition. With great sensitivity, Gibran describes his passion as a youth for Selma Karamy, the girl of Beirut who first unfolded to him the secrets of love. But it is a love that is doomed by a social convention which forces Selma into marriage with another man. Portraying the happiness and infinite sorrow of his relationship with Selma, Gibran at the same time probes the spiritual meaning of human existence with profound compassion.
13.
The Essential Rumi by Rumi (Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi) EN
Country: Asia / 
Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Description:
From the premier interpreter of Rumi comes the first definitive one-volume collection of the enduringly popular spiritual poetry by the extraordinary thirteenth-century Sufi mystic.
14.
The Ink Dark Moon by Izumi Shikibu, Ono no Komachi EN
JapanDescription:
Here is a collection of sexy, brief, fleeting poems about love, lust and longing. They originate from a time in Japanese history where aristocratic women of the Heian court were free to marry and conduct love affairs according to their desires. Education and refinement were so highly valued that the courtly manner of expressing oneself, whether to give condolences for a death, to send back a forgotten fan, or to heighten the anticipation of a lover's visit, was with a poem of just five lines. A convention of secrecy surrounding love affairs fills these verses with palpable emotion. These vivid... continue
15.
The Poems of Nakahara Chūya by Chuya Nakahara EN
Description:
Acclaimed English translation of poems by one of the most gifted and colourful of Japan's early modern poets: Nakahara Chuya. Now ranked among the finest Japanese verse of the 20th century, influenced by both Symbolism and Dada, he created lyrics renowned for their songlike eloquence, their personal imagery and their poignant charm.
16.
The Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam by Omar Khayyam EN
IranDescription:
Philosopher, astronomer and mathematician, Khayyam as a poet possesses a singular originality. His poetry is richly charged with evocative power and offers a view of life characteristic of his stormy times, with striking relevance to the present day. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introduction... continue
17.
The Tale of Genji : (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Murasaki Shikibu EN
Description:
The world’s first novel, in a translation that is “likely to be the definitive edition . . . for many years to come” (The Wall Street Journal) A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, with flaps and deckle-edged paper Written in the eleventh century, this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world’s first novel. Genji, the Shining Prince, is the son of an emperor. He is a passionate character whose tempestuous nature, family circumstances, love affairs, alliances, and shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic. Royall Tyler’s superi... continue
18.
The Tale of Kieu : A Bilingual Edition of Nguyen Du's Truyen Kieu by Nguyen Du EN
VietnamDescription:
Since its publication in the early nineteenth century, this long narrative poem has stood unchallenged as the supreme masterpiece of Vietnamese literature. Thông’s new and absorbingly readable translation (on pages facing the Vietnamese text) is illuminated by notes that give comparative passages from the Chinese novel on which the poem was based, details on Chinese allusions, and literal translations with background information explaining Vietnamese proverbs and folk sayings.