A comprehensive historical anthology of English-language literary works from Singapore. It attempts to place the texts that have imagined the territory and the people who are now recognizably Singaporean in a historical narrative, to be read, studied, critiqued and treasured.

A comprehensive historical anthology of English-language literary works from Singapore. It attempts to place the texts that have imagined the territory and the people who are now recognizably Singaporean in a historical narrative, to be read, studied, critiqued and treasured.

Classical-style poetry in modern China and other Sinitic-speaking localities is attracting greater attention with the recent upsurge in academic revision of modern Chinese literary history. Using the concept of cultural transplantation, this monograph attempts to illustrate the uniqueness, compatibility, and adaptability of classical Chinese poetry in colonial Singapore as well as its sustained connections with literary tradition and homeland. It demonstrates how the reading of classical Chinese poetry can better our understanding of Singapore’s political, social, and cultural history, deepen knowledge of the transregional relationship between China and Nanyang, and fine-tune, redress, and enrich our perception of Singapore Chinese literature, Sinophone literature, the Chinese diaspora, and global Chinese identity.

Featuring contributions from 39 contemporary writers who represent some of the finest creative talent in the four major literary languages in Singapore today (Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English), this anthology features complex, diverse, and cosmopolitan literature that breaks monocultural expectations. Many of the internationally acclaimed works collected in this volume are available here in English for the first time, presented in fluent, sensitive, and culturally attuned versions. From a popular Chinese form of nonfiction to a magic realist short story to a long urban poem, all forms are on display in these examples of modern literary imagination from Singapore.

A publishing sensation in the 1970s and 1980s, Son of Singapore traces the extraordinary upbringing of an Everyman. As a Teochew farm boy coming of age during the Japanese Occupation, Tan Kok Seng enters the “university of the world” at only 15, becoming a coolie at the Orchard Road market. On his rounds to the homes of the “Red Hairs”, he befriends a group of Chinese dialect-speaking Caucasians who inspire him to improve himself beyond his humble roots. Set against Singapore’s push towards self-governance, Tan’s engaging autobiography reflects the pioneering spirit of the times. Written in deceptively simple prose, notable for its English transliteration of Teochew adages, Son of Singapore sensitively captures fast-disappearing places, people and everyday ways of living.

Published by the Singapore Art Museum T. K. Sabapathy has been writing on the art of Southeast Asia for more than four decades, as a critic, curator, and art historian. He is a penetrating critic and ardent advocate for the art and artists of Singapore and Malaysia. His art historical methods, critical documentation, deep dialogue with artists, and detailed explication of their works have set the course of art discourse in the region. Writing the Modern is the first collection of Sabapathy's work, featuring pieces that represent the scope and depth of his output and highlight his most important and influential writings. At the same time, it is a survey of the vast changes in the landscape of art in the region over the period. Sabapathy chronicles the shift in Asian art from a predominantly nationalist/modernist mode to a global contemporary style. Those new to his work will find this the ideal introduction to his oeuvre. And his longtime fans will find this book the perfect opportunity for review and renewed consideration of his work. Ultimately, it's a collection sure to fuel a new generation of modern and contemporary art writing, research, and exhibition making.

This book brings Anglophone Singapore literature to a global audience for the first time, embedding it within literary developments worldwide. Drawing on postcolonial studies, Singapore studies, and critical discussions in transnationalism and globalization, essays introduce neglected writers, cast new light on established writers, and examine texts in relation to their local-historical contexts while engaging with contemporary issues in Singapore society. It sets new directions for further scholarship on a body of writing that has much to say to those interested in issues of nationalism, diaspora, cosmopolitanism, neoliberalism, immigration, urban space, and literary form and content.

The dark side of The Lion City is explored in a thrilling anthology that gives “plenty of new and unfamiliar voices a chance to shine” (San Francisco Book Review). The island city-state of Singapore harbors unique customs and traditions largely unknown to the West. A booming economy and embrace of conformity overshadow its gambling dens, red-light districts, and a collective passion for ghostly and gory tales. Now, in Singapore Noir, some of its best contemporary authors delve into its seedy side, including three winners of the Singapore Literature Prize: Simon Tay (writing as Donald Tee Quee Ho), Colin Cheong, and Suchen Christine Lim, whose contribution was named a finalist for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award for Best P.I. Short Story. Eleven more tales showcase the talents of Colin Goh, Philip Jeyaretnam, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Monica Bhide, S.J. Rozan, Lawrence Osborne, Ovidia Yu, Damon Chua, Johann S. Lee, Dave Chua, and Nury Vittachi. “Singapore, with its great wealth and great poverty existing amid ethnic, linguistic, and cultural tensions, offers fertile ground for bleak fiction . . . Tan has assembled a strong lineup of Singapore natives and knowledgeable visitors for this volume exploring the dark side of a fascinating country.” —Publishers Weekly

Postcolonial literature about the South Seas, or Nanyang, examines the history of Chinese migration, localization, and interethnic exchange in Southeast Asia, where Sinophone settler cultures evolved independently by adapting to their "New World" and mingling with native cultures. Writing the South Seas explains why Nanyang encounters, neglected by most literary histories, should be considered crucial to the national literatures of China and Southeast Asia.