The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans. It is written chiefly in the country's four official languages: English, Malay, Standard Mandarin and Tamil. A number of Singaporean writers such as Tan Swie Hian and Kuo Pao Kun have contributed work in more than one language.
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.
Now, lets have first the Singaporean Poetry.
Singaporean literature in English started with the Strait-born Chinese community in the colonial era. Singaporean literature was published as early as the 1830s. The first notable Singaporean work of poetry in English is possibly F.M.S.R., a prastiche of T.S. Eliot by Francis P. Ng, published in 1935. This was followed by Wang Gungwu’s Pulse in 1950. With the independence of Singapore in 1965, a new wave of Singapore writing emerged, led by Edwin Thumboo, Arthur Yap, Robert Yeo, GohPoh Seng, Lee Tzu Peng and Chandran Nair. It is telling that many critical essays on Singapore literature named Thumboo’s generation, rightly or wrongly, as the first generation of Singapore writers. Poetry is the predominant mode of expression.
There were varying levels of activity in succeeding decades, with poets in the late 1980s and 1990s. In the late 1990s, English in Singapore found a new momentum with a whole new generation of poets born around or after 1965 now actively and publishing, not only in Singapore but also internationally. Local small presses such as First fruit and Ethos Books have been actively promoting the works of new wave of poets. The poetry of this younger generation is often politically aware, transnational and cosmopolitan, yet frequently presents their intensely focused, self-questioning and highly individualized perspective of Singaporean life, society, and culture. Some poets have been labeled Confessional for their personalized writing.
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 Too Long (1972) – widely recognised as the first true Singaporean novel – and A Dance of Moths (1995). 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. Lim's themes of Asian male chauvinistic gender-dominance mark her as a distant cousin to Asian-American writers such as Amy Tan.
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 KuoPao Kun, who also wrote in Chinese, sometimes translating his works into English. The late Kuo was a vital force in the local theatre renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the artistic 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.
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.
Singaporean Children Lit. 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. According to the National Library Board, other prominent and prolific children's authors include Patricia Maria Tan, Chia Hearn Chek, Ho MinFong and Bessie Chua.
One of the stories in Singapore was made by M.Ibrahim entitled “THE OLD MAN, HIS SON, AND THEIR BIKE”.
There was once a poor old Malay,
One you have never seen the like,
Who sadly told his son one day,
“Son, we have to sell our bike.”
So to the nearest town they went,
The old man on the bike astride;
His son, very soon feeling spent,
Walked slowly on his side.
They passed two men on their way,
Two old buddies having a talk,
One was heard to distinctly say,
“He makes the young fellow walk,”
On hearing this old man said,
“I think, my son, they do not like
To see me riding, I’m afraid,
You had better ride the bike.”
Two more men later they met,
They both seemed at the boy to gawk,
Said one, “See that strong, selfish lad,
He makes the old man walk”
The old man then said with a frown,
“Whatever we do, my son, seems wrong,
So let both of us walk to town;
We can push the bike along.”
Two more men then came into view,
One of them, as he stepped aside;
Said, “Look, how foolish are those two,
Walking, when they both could ride.”
The old man winced at what he heard,
And irritably said, “Indeed!”
His anger had now been stirred;
“Let’s both ride our iron steed.”
The rusty bike wasn’t really fit,
Fir it hadn’t been well kept of late;
The bike broke, the tires went flat;
They were both thrown to the ground!
Alas, alack, what noise was that?
They both heard a snapping sound,
The bike broke, the tires went flat,
They were both thrown to the ground!
Now, folk, you all know the moral of this quite short and simple tale; That if you try to please others, To please yourself, you will fail. If you hear something repeated enough times you tend to believe it, even if it's not true. We judge because we think we know. We also judge because we need to reassure ourselves that the awful things we hear about are unlikely to happen to us. The important is you know what is the truth and what is right.
To Grandmother
by: Lin Ziwei
I had so many things to say to you,
but my tongue always stumbled over itself,
Mandarin twisting pink flesh into elaborate knots
(like those you used to tie).
I could never mold those words elegantly enough,
they always came out choppy and choked,
stuck at the back of my head
like clay under my fingernails.
They're still here-- all those overdue apologies,
tardy words of concern and affection, resting
quietly, like leaves in the sun,
their delicate scent drifting and
gently pervading the far corners of my mind.
Grandparents are a valuable resource because they have so many stories and experiences from their own lives to share. Oftentimes children will listen to grandparents even when they are not listening to their parents or other adults. Grandparents also offer a link to a child's cultural heritage and family history. Grandparents play an important role in the lives of children. Grandparents and great grandparents give children a link to another generation; a sense of their family history; a perspective of the past and a concept of the continuity of life; a respect for old age. With their years of life experience, grandparents can serve as a loving advocate, guiding their grandchildren along the path of life. You can encourage in your grandchildren a sense of self worth that gives them a strong start and helps them rise to life's challenges. As a grandchild/children, we must respect, care and love our grandparents because aside to our parents, grandparents are also our best mentors.
END!!!
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