TODAY'S PLEA FOR A PLANETARY LITERATURE.

I believe that in the 21st century we should consider a planetary literature along with national and regional literary texts as part of our reading paths. Such a combination can help in the nurturing of knowledgeable and worthy world citizens. Foreign writers are included in the programme for higher studies but not all students select literary studies; besides by then readers have already developed their taste and some might fail to have affective affinities with foreign writers. .I am here including readers of the academic world and other people but who will constitute a part of the population of a country, represent its educational level and have a say in its destiny. In this paper I go briefly into the history of comparative literature. One of the objectives of including it into university programmes was to familiarize students with other cultures. However, it was still Euro centred. I am taking up the rationale underlying the focus on literary fiction. I draw from Gayatri C. Spivak who puts aside the former comparative literature of mid 1970s for the stronger and deeper New Comparative Literature and then moves to Planetarity. The world has changed since 1970s when the first wave of Comparative literature appeared. Today most countries of the world have diasporic populations. Hence reading a planetary literature through diasporic perspectives can lead people to become cosmopolitans and responsible citizens of the 21st century. Substansive reading of fiction across borders can help in developing skills to understand each other and develop feelings of empathy on Planet Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]