M. Butterfly, the most renowned play by Hwang, was released by Plume Books in 1989. The narrative revolves around the theme of love and deception.

Alongside Hwang’s The Sound of a Voice, another short play titled The House of Sleeping Beauties was featured, inspired by a short story from the Nobel Prize–winning Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. Kawabata’s tale appeared in a collection with the same name in 1971. Another of Kawabata's works, Beauty and Sadness (1981), might offer further insights into Japanese cultural themes.

Maxine Hong Kingston is acknowledged for paving the way for other Chinese American writers with her book Woman Warrior (1989), which narrates the challenges of growing up in California.

For a comprehensive look at modern Asian American writers, Jeffrey Paul Chan has compiled a collection titled The Big Aiieeeee: An Anthology of Chinese American and Japanese American Literature (1991).

Velina Hasu Houston edited The Politics of Life: Four Plays by Asian American Women (1993), offering a female perspective on Asian American theater.

The Sound of a Voice is frequently likened to Kobo Abe’s Woman in the Dunes (1962), which narrates the tale of a man ensnared in a sand-dwelling community, whose residents strive to maintain the ever-changing forms of their homes. This story also explores an ill-fated relationship between a solitary woman and a stranger who stumbles upon her.

C. Y. Lee’s Flower Drum Song was re-released in 2002, featuring an introduction by Hwang. The narrative follows a young Chinese American man grappling with his identity while living in San Francisco during the early 20th century.