Which Country Has the Best Literature in the World?

Thanks so much.with love from russia

Patrick White, 🇦🇺

As a Chinese , I personally recommend you <<A Dream in Red Mansions>>which is one of the Four Great Classic Novels of Chinese literature. And I also recommend all LuXun's novels and essays.
Sometimes I feel sad that we can't fully understand and experience other country's culture because of the difference between the languages. So I work hard to study English, forcing myself to read the English original edition. Fortunately It's hard but worthy.
And your videos help me a lot, thank you.

I agree impossible to really choose from any objective or intellectual standpoint as how can you compare. Beautiful to visit all over the world through literature.

So I would stick with my homeland, ireland, as my heart is connected to the land and stories here.

We have Joyce, seamus heany, beckett, wilde, Sean o Casey, yeats, maeve binchy, Cs lewis and more I'm sure. Even other writers with Irish roots like Jonathan swift and bram stoker. Even the brontes' dad lived just outside my hometown so the Irish is in their blood too.

Also living here I can see how literature and storytelling is entwined in the landscape and alive in the culture, even outside of 'great' literature, with Irish myths, storytellers at the pubs and cultural events sharing local folklore, we have children's writers on the scene today such as oliver jeffers and the prolific Martin waddell, the immense creativity and storytelling performances at our local theatres, and even stuff like Lisa magee's screen play 'derry girls' which has been dubbed by some as modern classic and enjoyed by many across the world.

Wonderful to hear how respectful you are of other cultures and their heritage. I’m currently in the process of looking for an inclusive top 50-100 best books list as sadly the majority are either English language or Europe-centric. 2024 is the year when I’m be reading all around the world, even though I’m from the middle of Europe myself. Any suggestions for such a list will be welcomed 😊

I love Russian literature more than any other!!

I wish to translate most of the Bengali literature to English so there would have been no debate. It seems foolish to say so as I've not read much of other literature but in my lifetime I read and heard about many of the American and British literature and I believe Bengali literature is better than that. The fact that Bengali authors could narrate and express so beautifully makes them better for me

They may not be the greatest in the world, but the Kirghiz novelist, Chinghiz Aitmatov's work are some of the most beautiful, poetic novels that I have ever read in my life. I am not a Kirghiz and had to be satisfied with the translations. One can only imagine how lovely the originals would be.

I read French literature in French
I read Spanish literature in Spanish
English literature in English
Unfortunately I don’t know Russian so I read it in Spanish
Or German etc
When your read in the original language I think is the best

Where does Irish literature come into this scheme? Wonders an Irish woman.

African literature is deep and profound

The 19th century is the golden age of Russian literature. Number 1 on this list is Alexander Pushkin, Number 2 is Mikhail Lermontov, and then a whole list of remarkable classics of Russian literature Nikolai Gogol, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Anton Chekhov, Ivan Turgenev, Ivan Goncharov, playwright Alexander Ostrovsky and many others,

The russian literature of 19 sentury is the best. That is the truth.

So, are you a segregationist?
I ask this because the European settlers in the "new world" found a whole slew of perfectly usable languages but consciously decided to ignore them. And in fact, expected the speakers of those languages to ignore their own languages as well.
You do not try hard enough.
Try harder.
Non Hawaiians in Hawaii do not use the Hawaiian language because it is too hard for them. They do not use it because they do not have to, they do not want to learn it, and no one can make them learn and use it. This is typical of the so called west.

Brilliant video by the way, god damn!

When it comes to Mystery and Ghost stories, the British writers are unsurpassed. I have read tales of Genji and it absolutely fascinated me. I had no idea of the sophistication and elegance of the culture in that time period. Their society was as complex as any European. We learn a lot when we explore writing from other cultures and other times.

Easy answr. Russia. Not even close.

Being an Iranian, I personally believe Persian poets such as Rumi, Khayam, Ferdowsi, Saadi and many others are among great literary individuals of the world.
Please tell me if you have read any Persian poetry 🌼

Sadly, it seems a lot of people are put-off by American literature nowadays. Which breaks my heart because it's my favorite.

Russian Literature ❤️

An impossible task indeed. On the basis of Dostoyevsky alone (Sorry, I know it's probably heresy to say so, but I prefer him to Tolstoy.) I would be tempted to say Russian literature. On the basis of Melville alone I would be tempted to say American literature (but let's not even mention Twain, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Hemingway....) Here's someone I've never heard mentioned on this channel (but then I only discovered you about 17 recommended videos ago): Henrik Ibsen. He was a Norwegian. And speaking of Scandinavians, are the Icelandic Sagas to be considered "great literature?" The Finnish Kalevala? Beowulf? Hmmm, going either forward or backward from the "golden age" of English Literature, the task becomes impossible either way. I will only say that I have favorites from all countries and cultures. Perhaps theses favorites tap something "universal" to the human experience?

1-French Literature
2-Russian Literature
3-German Literature
4-Italian Literature
5-Latin American Literature
6-Spanish Literature
7-Japanese Literature
8-Persian Literature
9-British Literature
10-Arabic Literature
11-North American Literature
....

Readers from the east do read and appreciate western literature and South American literature. So I don't know why the reverse just doesn't work, maybe the western world is more insular and doesn't allow people to be sensitized to wider world views.

Personally I do find malayalam novels to be almost at par and even superior to Russian literature. It is simply a by product of the structure of language that yields it self to wonderful prose and by a society that expects deeper insights from their own writers about their own society. I wish translated modern literature from the many languages and cultures of india especially southern India get a wider audience, it will be a refreshing experience to western readers, it is almost like discovering a new homer or victor hugo... from another part of the world....

Try indian literature ancient literature

Greek literature anyone?😊

Wow you speak fast but your thoughts and insights flow. What a gift . Keep it coming

Serbian literature all the way. From Miloš Crnjanski, Petar Petrović Njegoš, Ivo Andrić, Dobrica Ćosić, Branko Nušić to Milorad Pavić. All original, dark, hard, real and beautiful, definitely worth a read!

I am an Iranian by birth. I know much about Iranian literature but as great works of art in Persian have not been translated in English or French they are not very well known in the world . Most of the readers in the west are , more or less, familiar with Rumi or Khayyam . However, there are wonderful poets and writers such as Ferdowsi whose great epic masterpiece The Shahnameh is somewhat equal to the works of Homer. Modern authors have fantastic books, too. I will be very happy if you can talk about such works and in case you need help I will be delighted to be of help.

Fascinating! your passion is inspiring and contagious

I love the dichotomy of the East and West in thought and literature. Being born Pakistani in UK gives me a taste of two separate world view which are often so different and at odds with each other. I find western people like to put things in distinct categories whereas in India everything is just spiritual. In order to appreciate it fully you need to have knowledge of the various belief systems.
If you get a chance do look at Waris Shah "Heer", a love story that takes on a divine element. The author is considered the Shakespeare of Punjabi language. Poetry has often been woven into music and songs. There is so much I would love to recommend. I find that people in India are much more driven by emotions and the heart whereas western is more driven by logic and the mind. By being able to see those lenses you can get a great sense of appreciation of the literature and poetry produced.

David Lindsey is the best author

There is no one great literture. There are only great writers: Cervantes, Shakespeare, Eliot, James, Joyce, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Balzac, Kafka, Mann.....

I think China has the best literature.

The answer is simple. Russian literature is in another level.

By the way, honorable mention. Are there other authors in the world like Nabokov who could write equally well in two languages and in two cultures? That is, when you read "Lolita" in English, you feel that this is a 100% American author. But when you read "Invitation to the Execution", you feel that only a Russian person could write it. 😅😅

You are really expert in literature

Contemporary Russian literature is fab too. Sorokin, Pelevin, Shishkin, Tolstaya, Prilepin, Vodolazkin, Akunin. So so many. Travel, learn other languages, everywhere is wonderful.

I reckon we should read literature in the original language as much as possible. I love Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Proust, Steinbeck, Christie, Pirandello ...
Unfortunately, as Italian, I believe we've not been enough fruitful over the past few decades. I suggest historical novels by Valerio Manfredi, though.

Thank u for your chanel. I found u today 18.01 . I love Russian literature but my soulmate author is French Alexander Dùma jr♥️

Russian literature heeling like no other ❤

I delved into Icelandic literature. I was astonished how quirky it was. Fairly short and easy to digest, the fairytale aspect of the stories had me spellbound.

Erm, pass 😳 🤔

I love Russian writers, they are The Best! 🕊️

Well I really have no idea about it 😂😂😂.

can we talk?

Anna Karenina❤️❤️❤️

Eastern Europe has some great literature. Too bad they aren't often translated to English.

Sanskrit language has literature that is vast and ancient and most of it is spiritual and metaphysical. The western world's inability to comprehend it does not diminish is greatness. But there were quite a few lovers of Sanskrit in the west too especially the Germans . Max Muller is well known The longest epic poem in the world written by Ved Vyasa is The Mahabharata of which the Bhagvat Gita is a part . Besides there were great writers like Kalidasa Bhatrihari apart from the anonymous great voluminous works of the Upanishads/ Vedas All Buddhist and Jain scriptures too are in Sanskrit Sanskrit literature is vast in drama narrative prose touching all facets of life like science Ayurveda Yoga etc and Panini, Valmiki, Kalidasa, Bhatrihari, Adi Shankara are only a few examples..

I'm an American, but my preference is British lit. Where irony and language (two essential aspects of literature) are concerned, I really don't believe anyone holds a candle to the Brits, and the English in particular. Of course, I have my American favorites, but I find myself so often returning to second-half twentieth century writers like Larkin, Amis, and Murdoch (to name only three writers from your country). (Side note: I don't think American rock and roll holds a candle to the British offering either, but Americans own jazz and film.)

Wow! Great video/article! I myself, don´t think there is a country with best literature, but I like knowing where the author is from, like you say, you get a glimpse of a culture and that is very enriching.