Recommendations Looking for novels that read like literary works

Hello folks,
I am tired of guilty pleasures in translated novels and looking for something meatier. Something that would feel like more like a literary work and has some depth in its writing. Any genre is fine with me as long as it isn't yaoi/BL, smut, ecchi.

Examples of works I am looking for would be
Top Management, The Great Storyteller (Korean)
I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, Three Days of Happiness (Japanese)
Mulberry Song (Chinese)

First post on this forum, please be gentle.

 

Try out the top stuff from each country in NU:

KR The Novel's Extra
JP Isekai Nonbiri Nouka
CN A Will Eternal

When in doubt, check the best and popular stuff 1st in https://www.novelupdates.com/series-ranking/
then you can branch out to the things that are more to your taste, even though it ranks #2000 and above.

 

Rakuin no Monshou

 

You should check out the spcnet forums. That's where a lot of actual wuxia is published. Where I went to read stuff before NU. RWX and deathblade started off there, I think.

 

I've already read most popular novels and while I love them for what they are, I am looking for literary like works, these do not fit what I am currently for, besides the fact that I have read probably the 100 most popular novels on this site.

 

Manuscript Screening Boy and Manuscript Submitting Girl
About the Reckless Girl Who Kept Challenging a Reborn Man Like Me
Maybe?

 

Looking for something on Novelupdates for now, but sure, I'll look into that.

 

Do you live somewhere with a public library? Just throwing it out there, but it'll probably be a lot easier to find what you're looking for there. The vast majority of works on NU are light novels or web novels, which are like the fast food of the literary world: often tasty, but not something you look to for substance.

 

Well, it is because it is hard to find that I asked for recommendations. While the vast majority are light and web novels, I have occassionally found a gem, or two, so looking to see others have more. Joy of Life certainly comes to mind, a fairly conventional webnovel which is quite well written. But thanks for your input.

 

Have you tried Mao Ni's works? Ze Tian Ji, Nightfall, Joy of Life, The Path Toward Heaven. Er Gen's works are good too, notably Renegade Immortal and Pursuit of the Truth. You should also try Trafford’s Trading Club.

 

Three Days of Happiness
The Probability I Can Kill My Wife Without Being Found Out
I Don’t Like The World, I Only Like You

Probably read something by Haruki Murakami
Or you can check this list to know if anything from this has been translated in your language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akutagawa_Prize
I’d personally recommend Convenience Store Woman

 

popular novel dont mean they good thought, also Isekai Nonbiri more or less guilty pleasure too also not that good if looking for literal literaly work, dunno about other two since i dont read them

as for recommendation try
Allison (and all its the sequel)
Mimizuku to Yoru no Ou
kamisu reina series

 

This appears to be up my alley, thank you!

 

Allison and its sequels
The Lazy King
Gekkou
Kuzu to Kinka no Qualidea
Ookami to Koushinryou
Tabi ni Deyou, Horobiyuku Sekai no Hate Made
Utsuro no Hako to Zero no Maria
Tada, Sore Dake de Yokattan desu
About the Reckless Girl Who Kept Challenging a Reborn Man

Some of them are one volume only and are very good.

 

The second is just a shit romance.

 

The Grandmaster Strategist. You should look for Historical tag. Maybe is what you are looking.

 

another one who I actually missed to
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/we-dont-open-anywhere/
I might be live in a cave too long for me to miss Eiji-sensei other works got translated

 

Maybe for you but a lot of others liked it as well. Personally the story is very good even if you ignore the romance.

 

I loved the Assistant Architect
(It is chinese bl, light on the bl, but really good ont the architecture part)
it well written, it has a nice indepth in art and Chinese actual system. It’s not so long that you’d get bored
I don’t know what you qualify as litterature though

 

I was about to type something, then I reread the requirements... no bl...