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Reading Lists

Curated for Readers

Curated reading lists for students, researchers, and general readers interested in world literature, postcolonial studies, translation, and higher education. These lists are designed as starting points: a small set of essential texts, paired with brief notes on how to approach them.

What you’ll find here

  • Short, focused lists for specific themes (translation, narrative, world literature, universities).
  • “Where to begin” pathways for readers new to a field.
  • Lists that pair primary texts with key criticism and context.

How to use these lists

Start small: choose one list, read two or three core texts first, then use the rest as a map for deeper study. New lists will be added over time, and some will connect to podcast episodes. If you’d like a tailored reading list for a course, reading group, or research project, please reach out via the Contact page.

A blurred image of a library aisle with shelves filled with books on both sides.

Selected reading lists

1) Reading the World: An Introduction

A starting pathway for thinking about world literature as movement—across languages, institutions, and readers. Use this list to build vocabulary for circulation, canon-formation, and interpretation.

2) Postcolonial Reading Practices

Foundational texts for reading colonial history, power, and cultural representation with precision. This list is oriented toward method: how to read, not only what to read.

3) Anglophone Arab Writing in Global Context

A focused set of literary works and criticism on contemporary Anglophone Arab writing. The list foregrounds form, audience, and the politics of location and reception.

4) Translation as Cross-Cultural Communication

Readings that treat translation as interpretation, ethics, and cultural mediation—not mere equivalence. Use it to think about what is “carried,” what is “lost,” and what is “reallocated” across languages.

5) Narrative, Reliability, and the Ethics of Interpretation

Texts on narrativity, voice, credibility, and how readers decide what to trust. The emphasis is on the practical stakes of interpretation in literature and public discourse.

6) Universities, Culture, and Public Knowledge

Readings on higher education, the humanities, and the university’s cultural role today. This list connects intellectual life to institutional design, public value, and educational change.