ASIAN LITERATURE:

SINGAPOREAN
21st Century Literature from the Philippines and the World
Quarter 2, Week 3
 OBJECTIVES
• Compare and contrast the various 21st
century literary genres and their elements,
structures, and traditions from across the
globe;
• Produce a creative representation of a literary
text by applying multimedia and ICT skills;
• Do self- and/or peer-assessment of the
creative adaptation of a literary text, based on
rationalized criteria, prior to presentation.
 SINGAPOREAN LITERATURE
• The literature of Singapore comprises a
collection of literary works by Singaporeans
in any of the country's four main languages:
English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
• The literature of Singapore is viewed as a
distinct body of literature portraying various
aspects of Singapore society and forms a
significant part of the culture of Singapore.
 SINGAPOREAN LITERATURE
• A number of Singaporean writers such as Tan
Swie Hian and Kuo Pao Kun have
contributed work in more than one language.
• However, this cross-linguistic fertilization is
becoming increasingly rare and it is now
increasingly thought that Singapore has four
sub-literatures instead of one.
 SINGAPOREAN POETRY
• Singaporean literature in English started with
the Straits-born Chinese community in the
colonial era.
• The first notable Singaporean work of poetry
in English is possibly F.M.S.R., a pastiche of
T. S. Eliot by Francis P. Ng, published in
London in 1935. This was followed by Wang
Gungwu’s Pulse in 1950.
 SINGAPOREAN POETRY
• With the independence of Singapore in 1965,
a new wave of Singapore writing emerged,
led by Edwin Thumboo, Arthur Yap, Robert
Yeo, Goh Poh Seng, Lee Tzu Pheng and
Chandran Nair.
• Poetry is the predominant mode of
expression; it has a small but respectable
following since independence, and most
published works of Singapore writing in
English have been in poetry.
 SINGAPOREAN POETRY
• The poetry of this younger generation is often
politically aware, transnational and
cosmopolitan, yet frequently presents their
intensely focused, self questioning and highly
individualized perspectives of Singaporean
life, society and culture. Some poets have
been labeled Confessional for their
personalized writing, often dealing with
intimate issues such as sexuality.
 tu re
Lit
e ra SINGAPOREAN LITERATURE
ple
m
Sa

“ A Letter to Lee
Choon Seng”
By
Khoo Seok Wan
 SINGAPOREAN POETRY
In my humble hut
These cold, dismal days
And more,
The comfort of your
Sleepless
presence
As the
And more, The comfort of your rainAndcreates
presence the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
And the flow of your wine
Its endless rhythms
Settled in the pavilion
Here at my side.
You
A friend in times of need
Cooking meals to carry me
Through inclement weather
 SINGAPOREAN DRAMA
• Drama in English found expression in Goh Poh Seng, who
was also a notable poet and novelist, in Robert Yeo, author of
6 plays, and in Kuo Pao Kun, who also wrote in Chinese,
sometimes translating his works into English.
• The late Kuo was a vital force in the local theatre
renaissance
And more, The comfort of your inflow
presence And the theof1980s and
your wine 1990s.
Settled in the He wasHere
pavilion theat artistic
my side.
director of The Substation for many years. Some of his plays,
like The Coffin is Too Big for the Hole (1984) and Lao Jiu
(1990), have been now considered classics.
 SINGAPOREAN DRAMA
• Stella Kon gained international fame with her now-famous
play Emily of Emerald Hill: a monologue. About an ageing
Peranakan matriarch, it has been produced in Scotland,
Malaysia and Australia. The sole character has been played
by men as well as women.
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
 SINGAPOREAN FICTION
• Fiction writing in English did not start in earnest until after
independence. Short stories flourished as a literary form, the
novel arrived much later.
• Goh Poh Seng remains a pioneer in writing novels well
before many of the later generation, with titles like If We
Dream
And more, The comfort of your presenceToo Long
And the flow (1972) – widely
of your wine Settled inrecognized asatthe
the pavilion Here my first
side. true
Singaporean novel – and A Dance of Moths(1995).
 SINGAPOREAN FICTION
• Beginning as a short story writer, Penang-born Catherine Lim has
been Singapore's most widely read author, thanks partly to her first
two books of short stories, Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore (1978)
and Or Else, The Lightning God and Other Stories (1980). These two
books were incorporated as texts for the GCE 'O' Levels.
• Han May is the pseudonym of Joan Hon who is better known for her
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
non-fiction books. Her science-fiction romance Star Sapphire (1985)
won a High Commendation Award from the Book Development
• Council of Singapore in 1986, the same year when she was also
awarded a Commendation prize for her better-known book Relatively
Speaking on her family and childhood memories.
 SINGAPOREAN FICTION
• Haresh Sharma is a playwright who has written more than fifty plays
that have been staged all over the world, including Singapore,
Melbourne, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cairo and London.[1] In May
2010, his highly acclaimed play Those Who Can't, Teach was
published in book form by the independent publisher Epigram
Books.
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
 SINGAPOREAN CHILDREN LITERATURE

• Children's literature in Singapore has gained momentum in recent

years due to increased interest in the genre generated by the First
Time Writers and Illustrators Initiative which discovered acclaimed
writers such as *Adeline Foo The Diary of Amos Lee, *Jin Pyn The
Elephant and the Tree, and *Emily Lim Prince Bear and Pauper
Bear.*Jessie Wee, one of the pioneers of children's
literature,rereleased
And more, The comfort of your her
presence And the flow of popular
your Mooty
wine Settled Mouse
in the pavilionseries with
Here at Marshall
my side.
Cavendish in 2009.
 LIST OF SINGAPOREAN WRITERS
• Aaron Lee, poet and lawyer
• Grace Chia, poet and novelist
• Don Bosco, writer and publisher of children fiction books
• Alfian bin Sa'at, playwright, poet and fiction writer
• Gopal Baratham, neurosurgeon and writer
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
• Boey Kim Cheng, poet
• Colin Cheong, poet and novelist
• Felix Cheong, poet
• Michael Chiang, playwright
• Goh Poh Seng, poet and novelist
 LIST OF SINGAPOREAN WRITERS
• Philip Jeyaretnam, novelist and lawyer
• Koh Buck Song, poet
• Russell Lee, mysterious author of popular True Singapore Ghost
Stories series
• Lee Tzu Pheng, academic and poet
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
• Liang Wern Fook, Chinese writer and songwriter
• Catherine Lim, novelist
• Su-Chen Christine Lim, novelist
• Shirley Lim, poet and critic
• Chandran Nair, poet and artist
 LIST OF SINGAPOREAN WRITERS
• Philip Jeyaretnam, novelist and lawyer
• Koh Buck Song, poet
• Russell Lee, mysterious author of popular True Singapore Ghost
Stories series
• Lee Tzu Pheng, academic and poet
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
• Liang Wern Fook, Chinese writer and songwriter
• Catherine Lim, novelist
• Su-Chen Christine Lim, novelist
• Shirley Lim, poet and critic
• Chandran Nair, poet and artist
 LIST OF SINGAPOREAN WRITERS

• Read the THE TAXIMAN’S STORY BY

CATHERINE
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow LIM
of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
 ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
1. Who are the characters presented in the story?
Can you describe them?
2. What is the irony in the story?
3. What themes are discussed in the story?
4. How do you like “The Taximan’s Story?”
And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.
5. Do you think the characteristics and personality of
the taxi driver is true for all taxi drivers? Explain
your answer.
6. How realistic is this story?
7. What do you think of the taximan? Do you feel
sympathy for him?
 PERFORMANCE TASK #2 (INDIVIDUAL
TASK)

• Write a comparative analysis of the Singaporean

story The Taximan and a literary work from the
Philippines. Your aim is to use defamiliarization
which means that your focus should be on the
form
And more, The comfort of your presenceand technique
And the used
flow of your wine Settledin literature
in the rather
pavilion Here at my side.

than in its content.

• Upload your work on a BLOG (ex. Blogger,
Wix, Tumblr, WordPress) Platform.
• Send the link to your FB Group Page.
 PERFORMANCE TASK #2 (INDIVIDUAL
TASK)

And more, The comfort of your presence And the flow of your wine Settled in the pavilion Here at my side.