Literature and Writing

Globally, influential religious works, such as the Torah, the Christian Gospels, and the Koran, originated in the Middle East. Four major traditions continue today, each of which relies in some part on earlier religious texts. Only in the twentieth century did these distinguished traditions give rise to voices that challenge the predominance of religious writings, producing works of personal expression, political protest, and countercultural sentiment. Today, Middle Eastern literature is more diverse in character and function than at any point in its history.