Flip through the Pages of World Literature
Explore multicultural world literature: adventures of a Javanese and Malay hero, life of William Shakespeare and the longest, and fullest travel account in Islamic literature.
Shakespeare purchases New Place 1 (17th century) by Court of Common PleasUNESCO Memory of the World
Significance of World Literature
World literature emerged from the development of global economic and cultural relations. It builds understanding and appreciation of the lives of different people from around the world, helps forms a broader world-outlook, introduces masterpieces of literature, and the reveals factors that influenced literary development.
Panji Tales (Hikayat Kisah Panji) (18th - 19th centuries)UNESCO Memory of the World
Panji Tales
The Panji Tales, also known as Hikayat Kisah Panji, are stories from the 13th century telling of the adventures of the Prince Paji, a Javanese hero, searching for his beloved Princess Candra Kirana, while undertaking various disguises and a range of different names, before the lovers are reunited.
Regional and Southeast Asian Literary and Cultural Treasure
The stories marked a height of Javanese literature, no longer overshadowed by the great Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, known in Java from the 12th century. During the Majapahit Empire, in the 14th-15th centuries, the tales became one of the most popular literatures in Southeast Asia and spread by sea merchants in the 17th-18th centuries.
Hikayat Hang Tuah, page 3 (18th - 20th centuries) by unknownUNESCO Memory of the World
Hikayat Hang Tuah
Hikayat Hang Tuah is the story of an illustrious Malay hero that represents absolute loyalty to the ruler as the ultimate champion of chivalry and obedience to tradition. It’s a Malay literary classic, a traditional Malay epic, a folk tale, and national literary classic.
Hikayat Hang Tuah, page 1 (18th - 20th centuries) by unknownUNESCO Memory of the World
Greatness of the Sultanate of Malacca and the Malays
Hikayat Hang Tuah symbolizes the greatness of the of Sultanate of Malacca during its height in the 15th century in projecting the bravery of the Malays. It’s well-known not only amongst the Malays but also to the people in the Malay Archipelago.
Ralph Brooke's compilation of arms granted by William Dethick (17th century) by Ralph BrookeUNESCO Memory of the World
The Shakespeare Documents
The Shakespeare Documents provide a documentary trail of the life of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). They’re a key archival source for understanding this English author; who is widely regarded as the greatest dramatist.
Ralph Brooke's compilation of arms granted by William Dethick (18th century)UNESCO Memory of the World
Importance of Shakespeare's Documents
These unique, handwritten Documents provide glimpses into Shakespeare’s personal life, his birth, death, family affairs, property, and business dealings. They offer a narrative of his life and how this inspired and influenced his creative works.
Book of Travels, book cover (17th century) by Evliya ÇelebiUNESCO Memory of the World
Evliya Celebi’s Book of Travels
Evliya Çelebi's Book of Travels, also known as Seyahatname, is the longest and fullest travel account in Islamic literature. It’s an extensive description of the Ottoman Empire and its hinterlands, and an account of the author's peregrinations over roughly 40 years (1640-1680).
Book of Travels, book page 1 (17th century) by Evliya ÇelebiUNESCO Memory of the World
Revealed in the Book of Travels
Seyahatname provides an insight into Ottoman perceptions of the world, not only in obvious areas like geography, topography, administration, urban institutions, and social and economic systems, but also in such domains as religion, folklore, dream interpretation, and conceptions of self.
