Air miles be damned. I say the best way to find out about the joy and complexity of our world is through novels | Pushpinder Khaneka

"Dear reader, are your shelves heaving under the weight of books by dead white folks? Do your eyes glaze over at the mention of foreign fiction? Is your reading diet missing the vibrant flavours of stories from Africa, Asia and Latin America? Restricting your reading to novels from Europe and North America is like going to an all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet and just eating tortillas. Why do that? I have been getting to know about countries in the global south through literature."

"The book that most reeled me in to the ability of literature to open the door to another country was Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, a dazzling, magic-realist ride through Colombia's fortunes and misfortunes. Eventually, a cocktail of wonder, wishfulness and wanderlust inspired me to write a book about the joy of seeing the world through books."

"Non-western nations are home to more than 6 billion people about 85% of the world's population. Little wonder they are also referred to as the majority world. There's a whole gamut of storytelling out there that is as colourful as an Indian textile bazaar, as rich as the spices of an Ethiopian stew and as passionate as a tango in Buenos Aires. Tales that encompasses love, loss, joy, revolution and even stretch to exploding mangoes, a ferociously funny Frankenstein and ghosts with strong political views."

Reading primarily Western novels limits exposure to the majority of the world's stories and perspectives. Books from Africa, Asia and Latin America offer vivid, varied storytelling that captures national spirit, culture and emotion. Novels can convey more than facts by depicting landscapes, histories, and social realities while embodying wonder, wishfulness and wanderlust. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude exemplifies how literature can open the door to another country through magic realism. Non-Western nations encompass about 85% of the global population and provide a rich gamut of tales including love, loss, revolution, humor and politically charged supernatural elements.

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