Theme: Get to Know Singapore Literature

Get To Know: Singapore Literature

In this package, Singapore Literature, or Sing Lit, refers to books written by Singaporean or Singapore-based writers, in the four national languages namely English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Genres include fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and plays.

The body of Sing Lit covers an extensive breadth of topics – culture, race, work, food, family, place, identities – stemming from experiences and reflections of life in Singapore. Sing Lit is one avenue for us to discover, ponder and even question aspects of a Singaporean life. Poet, Ng Yi Sheng described it best when he said, “Literature encourages us to empathise with the complexities of history and its subjectivities rather than coming to easy straightforward conclusions.” ¹.

The Sing Lit scene in Singapore is lively, experimental and growing; seen through the active ecosystem of writers, publishers, literary organisations, bookstores, literary prizes and movements. Most recently, the Sing Lit scene has seen the rebrand of industry-led movement #BuySinglit to Sing Lit: Read Our World, to spotlight the full ecosystem of Sing Lit including ‘creators, authors and readers’ ² throughout the year. As the industry is galvanizing to bring our stories to the forefront, would you heed this call to know our world with Sing Lit?

In this resource package, glean into Sing Lit must-reads and get a headstart to Sing Lit works.

Did you know...

 

One of our founding fathers, S Rajaratnam, was also a man of words? While pursuing his law degree in London, his works caught the eye of George Orwell, who engaged Rajaratnam to contribute scripts to the BBC Eastern network where Orwell worked. This works have been compiled into The Short Stories and Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam. ³

Sing Lit has a long history, with generations of writers. The first notable Sing Lit work in English was said to be a work of poetry by Teo Poh Leng, written under the pseudonym of Francis P. Ng⁴ from 1937.

Sing Lit is garnering attention overseas. A few works by Singapore-born authors have won prestigious awards, been translated into various languages and picked up by overseas publishers. For example, Sonny Liew’s Charlie Chan Hock Chye not only bagged three Eisner Awards 2017⁵ – deemed the Oscars of the comics world – but was also nominated for a host of other foreign prizes⁶. Rachel Heng’s The Suicide Club has been translated to ten languages⁷, and several Singapore titles have been picked up by overseas publishers⁸.

 

Must Reads

There are numerous Sing Lit works deemed as must-reads across the different genres. This list for English books comprise a small selection. For more titles beyond this list, check out the links below.

1. A History of Amnesia

Alfian Sa’at (2020). Ethos Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

2. Ministry of Moral Panic

Amanda Lee Koe (2013). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

3. Sugarbread

Balli Kaur Jaswal (2018). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

4. Let Me Tell You Something About That Night

Cyril Wong (2020). Ethos Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

5. Me Migrant

Md Mukul Hossine (2020). Ethos Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

6. The Goddess in the Living Room

Latha (2014). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

7. State of Emergency

Jeremy Tiang (2018). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

8. Confrontation

Mohamed Latiff Mohamed (2018). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

9. Nimita’s Place

Akshita Nanda (2019). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

10. The Gatekeeper

Nuraliah Norasid (2018). Epigram Books.

Borrow the eBook here.

Retrieved from NLB Overdrive (myLibraryID is required to access the eBook).

For more recommendations, check out:

The 50 Greatest Work of Sing Lit by Olivia Ho, The Straits Times, Dec 2021. (Retrieved 20 Dec 2021.)

World Book Day 2021: 6 Singapore Literary Insiders Share Their Favourite Books by Nurin Hashim Hashimi, Tatler Singapore, Apr 2021. (Retrieved 20 Dec 2021.)

 

Resources

A Case for Sing Lit

This article from Wild Rice’s Op-ed Competition writes about how reading Sing Lit touches a unique chord that possibly only Singaporeans can relate to.
Rice Media. (2021, July). A Case for Sing Lit. Rice Media. https://www.ricemedia.co/a-case-for-singlit/
Retrieved 20 December 2021.

The Singapore Spotlight: Pooja Nansi on our blossoming literary scene

This interview with Pooja Nansi, festival director of Singapore Writers Festival since 2019, gives a good take on the current Sing Lit scene.
Neo, Josiah. (2019, Aug 29). The Singapore Spotlight: Pooja Nansi on our blossoming literary scene. Lifestyle Asia Singapore. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/culture/the-arts/pooja-nansi-singlit/
Retrieved 20 December 2021.

Must we define Singapore’s literary voice for it to be recognised? Local authors pitch in

An interview with several Sing Lit writers to discuss what makes Singapore Literature.Bowers, Beatrice. (2020, Feb 21). Must we define Singapore’s literary voice for it to be recognised? Local authors pitch in. Lifestyle Asia Singapore. https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/culture/the-arts/what-is-sing-lit-singaporean-authors-define/
Retrieved 20 December 2021.

Songbirds: After You

A podcast series by The Arts House, Wilson Goh and Amanda Lee reinterprets selected Singapore poems into songs.
The Arts House. (2021, March 25 Day). Songbirds. Lit Spins. The Arts House. https://open.spotify.com/episode/22qMVnHwCMzft8YMDkqsq0
Retrieved 20 December 2021.

Programmes on Singapore Literature

Literary programmes featuring Sing Lit are always happening in the library. Browse through go.gov.sg/nlblitarts to find the right one for you!

References

1. Chua, Ivy, Ismail, Rafiq. (2020, June 30). Stories About Us: Literary Culture in Singapore. Constellations. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://www.constellations.sg/2020/06/30/stories-about-us-literary-culture-in-singapore.
2. Tze Yi, Goh. (2021, Dec 13). #BuySingLit movement rebrands to get S'poreans to Read Our World The Straits Times. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://www.straitstimes.com/life/buysinglit-movement-rebrands-to-get-sporeans-to-read-our-world.
3. NLB OverdriveThe Short Stories and Radio Plays of S. Rajaratnam.Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://nlb.overdrive.com/media/3300320.
4. Ogihara-Shuck, Eriko. (2015, Jan 1) On the Trail of Francis P. Ng: Author of F.M.S.R. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/vol-10/issue-4/jan-march-2015/on-the-trail.
5. Lovett, Jamie. (2017, November 9) Here Are Your 2017 Eisner Awards Winners. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://comicbook.com/comics/news/eisner-awards-winners-2017/.
6. Ho, Olivia. (2017, May 3) Singaporean graphic novelist Sonny Liew tops nominations for Eisner comic awards. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/singaporean-graphic-novelist-sonny-liew-tops-nominations-for-eisner-comic-awards.
7. Heng, Rachel. Suicide Club. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://www.rachelhengqp.com/suicide-club.
8. Tee, Karen. (2016, September 2018) Singapore Literature is Having Its Moment in the International Spotlight. Retrieved 2021, December 20 from https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/lifestyle/singapore-literature-is-having-its-moment-in-the-international-spotlight/.

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