noun
local story; regional novel
A literary genre focusing on the customs, landscape, and life of a particular region, often written by an author from that area.
彼は故郷を舞台にした郷土小説を書いた。
He wrote a regional novel set in his hometown.
郷土文学 is a broader term for regional literature as a whole, while 郷土小説 specifically refers to novels or stories within that genre.
Compound of 郷土 (きょうど, 'native place, hometown') and 小説 (しょうせつ, 'novel, story').