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The Great Asian Novels

This list is inspired by The Atlantic's recent list of their Great American Novels. For this list, I'm not abiding by The Atlantic's strict rule that all books must be published within the last 100 years (too many great novels would be left out) and thus have no time limit on their publication. I have 136 novels, just like The Atlantic's list, and I've tried to include novels from every Asian country, spreading from Indonesia to the Middle East. I'm sure many will disagree with some of my choices, but that's what we love about reading. Enjoy!
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1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)
1Q84
1
Haruki Murakami
Anarchy and Old Dogs (Colin Cotterill)
Anarchy and Old Dogs
2
Colin Cotterill
And the Mountains Echoed (Khaled Hosseini)
And the Mountains Echoed
3
Khaled Hosseini
Anil's Ghost (Michael Ondaatje)
Anil's Ghost
4
Michael Ondaatje
The Arsonists' City (Hala Alyan)
The Arsonists' City
5
Hala Alyan
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Sonny Liew)
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
6
Sonny Liew
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (Zoulfa Katouh)
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
7
Zoulfa Katouh
Audition (Ryu Murakami)
Audition
8
Ryu Murakami
The Baghdad Clock (Shahad Al Rawi)
The Baghdad Clock
9
Shahad Al Rawi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
10
Dai Sijie
Bangkok Wakes to Rain (Pitchaya Sudbanthad)
Bangkok Wakes to Rain
11
Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Beauty Is a Wound (Eka Kurniawan)
Beauty Is a Wound
12
Eka Kurniawan
The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth (Veeraporn Nitiprapha)
The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth
13
Veeraporn Nitiprapha
The Blind Owl (Sadegh Hedayat)
The Blind Owl
14
Sadegh Hedayat
Brick Lane (Monica Ali)
Brick Lane
15
Monica Ali
A Case of Exploding Mangoes (Mohammed Hanif)
A Case of Exploding Mangoes
16
Mohammed Hanif
The Circle of Karma (Kunzang Choden - Bhutan)
The Circle of Karma
17
Kunzang Choden - Bhutan
The Colonel (Mahmoud Dowlatabadi)
The Colonel
18
Mahmoud Dowlatabadi
Confessions of a Mask (Yukio Mishima)
Confessions of a Mask
19
Yukio Mishima
Convenience Store Woman (Sayaka Murata)
Convenience Store Woman
20
Sayaka Murata
Crazy Rich Asians (Kevin Kwan)
Crazy Rich Asians
21
Kevin Kwan
Crystal Messenger (Pham Thi Hoai)
Crystal Messenger
22
Pham Thi Hoai
Damascus Nights (Rafik Schami - Syria)
Damascus Nights
23
Rafik Schami - Syria
A Dark Night's Passing (Naoya Shiga)
A Dark Night's Passing
24
Naoya Shiga
The Day the Sun Died (Yan Lianke)
The Day the Sun Died
25
Yan Lianke
Dogeaters (Jessica Hagedorn)
Dogeaters
26
Jessica Hagedorn
Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin)
Dream of the Red Chamber
27
Cao Xueqin
Dumb Luck (Vu Trong Phung)
Dumb Luck
28
Vu Trong Phung
Exodus (Leon Uris)
Exodus
29
Leon Uris
Family Matters (Rohinton Mistry)
Family Matters
30
Rohinton Mistry
A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
A Fine Balance
31
Rohinton Mistry
Five Star Billionaire (Tash Aw)
Five Star Billionaire
32
Tash Aw
Four Reigns (Kukrit Pramoj)
Four Reigns
33
Kukrit Pramoj
Frankenstein in Baghdad (Ahmed Saadawi)
Frankenstein in Baghdad
34
Ahmed Saadawi
The Garden of the Evening Mists (Tan Twan Eng)
The Garden of the Evening Mists
35
Tan Twan Eng
The Gift of Rain (Tan Twan Eng)
The Gift of Rain
36
Tan Twan Eng
Girls of Riyadh (Rajaa Alsanea)
Girls of Riyadh
37
Rajaa Alsanea
The Glass Palace (Amitav Ghosh)
The Glass Palace
38
Amitav Ghosh
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
39
Arundhati Roy
A Golden Age (Tahmima Anam)
A Golden Age
40
Tahmima Anam
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