Can writers on world literature's margins be recognised?

Writer Li Zi Shu, touted by her readers as a potential Nobel laureate for literature after South Korean writer Han Kang's win, does not think the prize would be awarded to a Malaysian writer working in the Chinese language like herself.

- Shawn Hoo

On the second weekend of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF), writers and translators from Asia commented on what it means to be recognised at the periphery of literary centres.

The Ipoh-born Li, who is one year younger than Han - the first Asian woman to win the prize - thinks it is too naive to draw such a conclusion from Han's win.

"Why would they give the award to a Chinese-Malaysian writer instead of a writer from China or Taiwan? Chinese literature from Malaysia cannot even be awarded the national literary prizes," said Li, who was speaking in Mandarin at The Arts House on Nov 16.

No South-east Asian writer has been awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.