SINGAPORE – In this week’s Singapore Shelf, The Straits Times looks at books hot off the local press. Buy the books at Amazon. These articles include affiliate links. When you buy through them, we may earn a small commission.
Young writers from Singapore and Malaysia look back to 1963 in new anthology The Second Link
Sept 16 was the 100th birth anniversary of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, but the date marked another significant anniversary: the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.
Singaporean poet Daryl Lim Wei Jie has co-edited a new literary anthology to commemorate the start of a brief union between Singapore, Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak from 1963 to 1965.
The Second Link recalls the shared history of Malaysia and Singapore by bringing together 30 writers from the two nations to reflect on a bygone era which, although neglected, is still considered a “space of possibilities” by Lim.
The 33-year-old laments that there has been little said of this other anniversary from a Singapore perspective, explaining why he dreamt up this book in 2021.
Book review: Three new books offer insights into Singapore’s cultural history
A trio of books addressing various aspects of Singapore’s cultural landscape have hit the bookshelves.
The varying quality of the writing, research and content is a vivid illustration of the gaps in Singapore’s writings about its cultural history.
That there is a dire lack of resources documenting and critiquing the country’s cultural production is no surprise to anyone in the arts community.
While it may seem like a niche interest, research and writing about a country’s cultural history are an integral part of building knowledge, interest and pride in its unique identity as well as understanding how that identity has been built.
These three books attempt to document different aspects of Singapore culture.
Book review: Wong Souk Yee’s political drama Gardens At Phoenix Park has one-dimensional characters
Gardens At Phoenix Park is the story of three people who occupy different positions on the Singapore political spectrum – a minister, a member of the opposition and a political detainee.
In their youth, the trio are members of their university’s student union. A government crackdown and graduation lead them to pursue different paths.
Book review: Ally Chua’s Acts Of Self Consumption starts small before devouring everything
In this raw and at times gory poetry collection by Boston-based Singaporean writer Ally Chua, food can be found everywhere.
Chua, in her reckoning with gender violence and worship of New York City, not only feasts on herself, but turns on others too.
The Straits Times’ Weekly Bestsellers Oct 14
Topping the charts again are books by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Thomas Erikson and John Patrick Green.
