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Jonathan Lee
I grew up believing that Singapore history starts with Sir Stamford Raffles. That is the official narrative. But I think there is more than meets the eye. There is a hidden history.
My writing jo...view moreI grew up believing that Singapore history starts with Sir Stamford Raffles. That is the official narrative. But I think there is more than meets the eye. There is a hidden history.
My writing journey started with a short story : Dinosaur and the Cockroach -- a metaphor for the evolution of politics and leadership approach in Singapore, written at a time when communism was on its death throes and Catholic "activists" were jailed for communist activities. The short story was described as a "political parody". Since then, I have written several short stories. The Lion City is a veiled commentary on gender politics dressed up in the founding legend of Singapura. It begs the question : who benefits from polygamy, and which will make our society stronger : monogamy or polygamy? Sex Lies and Videotape is about sexual relations within a marriage. It begs the question what is the relative merits of nature vs nurture in sexual relations. The Kent Ridge Caper is about gender relationship, and how society tries to calibrate sex into that relationship.
Escape to Temasek and Fall of Singapura are my current passion. I have researched, written and edited this two novels for the past five years. It has spawned a documentary film (Hunt for the Red Lion). And I am still researching other aspects of Singapore history. These two novels rub against the grain of Singapore society. It is a re-interpretation of Singapore history. Most of my friends asked : Are these two novels credible? Were there people in Singapore before Stamford Raffles arrived? Were there Chinese in Singapore at that time? Was the lion really red? Was there really a pirate army? Who attacked Palembang? Was there any connection between the boy hero and the death of a princess? Was she really impaled on a public square? Who attacked Singapura? Was it a Majapahit army or a Tai army? And what happened on Forbidden Hill? To answer these questions, I have compiled two Historical Analysis available on my website (www.jonathanleebooks.com).
My message for you, the reader : just sit back and enjoy a good read.
The important point is : Singapore had a history, where none existed before.
Jonathan Leeview less