This collection explores the interpretation of historical fiction through fictional
representations of the past in an Asian context. Emphasising the significance of region and
locality it explores local networks of political and cultural exchanges at the heart of an
Asian polity. The book considers how imagined pasts converge and diverge in developed and
developing nations and examines the limitations of representation at a time when theories of
world literature are shaping the way we interpret global histories and cultures. The collection
calls attention to the importance of acknowledging local tensions-both within the historical
and cultural make-up of a country and within the Asian continent-in the interpretation of
historical fiction. It emphasizes a broad-spectrum view that privileges the shared historical
experiences of a group of countries in close proximity and it also responds to the paradigm
shift in Asian Studies. Discussing how local conditions shape and create expectations of how we
read historical fiction and working with the theme of fictionality and locality the volume
provides an alternative framework for the study of world literature.
