Book picks similar to
After You by Cyril Wong


poetry
singapore
sg-writers
singaporean-authors

'Others' Is Not A Race


Melissa De Silva - 2017
    Throughout are interwoven the themes of memory, loss, language, identity and cultural reclamation.Similarly, it is a reflective and provocative journey of self-discovery; a journey the reader may also take to explore what it means to exist at the confluence of being Singaporean and being Eurasian, and to interrogate the liminal space between two cultures, Asian and European, occupied by this community.

SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century


Ng Yi-Sheng - 2006
    Accompanied by Alphonsus Lee's photography, SQ21 shows an unabashed straightforward honesty and celebrates the lives of these ordinary Singaporeans. Written in a light, readable style, these insprirational stories will touch the hearts of readers gay and straight, Singaporean and otherwise.

A Certain Exposure


Jolene Tan - 2014
    A classic coming-of-age tale doubled across two vividly individual brothers, who struggle to navigate a complex tangle of relationships and coercive forces, cinematically interwoven with the yearnings and fears of an ensemble of mothers, fathers, cousins, friends and lovers both false and true. This wide-ranging debut beautifully presents the resonances and the ghosts of lost possibilities, as well as a gripping story of hope and betrayal.Praise:"I very much enjoyed A Certain Exposure. An immense achievement, with absolutely beautiful passages of description."— Sarah Howe, T.S. Eliot Prize-winning author of Loop of Jade"A Certain Exposure is a quiet, powerful tale about the dangers of unthinking conformity…[It is rare] in Singapore that we are made to face recognisable portraits of our society and acknowledge the distortions.”—Akshita Nanda, The Straits Times  “One of the best debuts of 2014, this sometimes strident but largely effective novel begins with the suicide of a government scholar and proceeds to dissect elitism, racism, homophobia and other taboo topics in Singapore.”—Helmi Yusof,  The Business Times “One of the best novels I’ve read recently…a haunting story about elitism and prejudice in a society which recites daily pledges to maintain equality for all.”—Balli Kaur Jaswal, author of Inheritance“A Certain Exposure is an intimately layered story about twin brothers forging different paths through the intricacies and prejudices of Singapore society, but will strike a chord wherever the struggle between personal values and social pressures is experienced.”—Ovidia Yu, author of Aunty Lee’s Delights“[A]n exciting debut novel that delves beneath the surface of Singapore society, questioning the dominant value systems and asking if there’s a better way for us to live.”—Jeremy Tiang, writer and translator of  Durians Are Not the Only Fruit: Notes from the Tropics , in “My Book of the Year”,  Singapore Poetry About the Author:Jolene Tan is a writer and activist who lives in Singapore. She has also lived in the UK, the US and Germany. A Certain Exposure is her first novel.

Emily of Emerald Hill


Stella Kon - 1989
    You play the part of Emily's friend to whom she confides the story of her life and gradually exposes the secrets of her mind.The play is a journey through human consciousness, and through time. As Emily tells you about her life, we are introduced to a host of striking characters. We see sharp vignettes of a period in Singapore which is no longer familiar. And when we have heard her story, we ask: Who is Emily? Is she a nurturer or a destroyer, a domestic tyrant or a frightened child? Is she a traditional Asian wife, or Singapore's first truly liberated lady? Can we really understand her? Does she understand herself?The play leaves us fascinated. It enlarges our experience of life.Since its award-winning appearance in 1985, Emily of Emerald Hill has become an icon of the English-language theatre in Singapore and Malaysia. Many different actresses have played the role, and it has been seen by more people than any other locally-written play.

Ministry of Moral Panic


Amanda Lee Koe - 2013
    Rehash national icons: the truth about racial riot fodder-girl Maria Hertogh living out her days as a chambermaid in Lake Tahoe, a mirage of the Merlion as a ladyboy working Orchard Towers, and a high-stakes fantasy starring the still-suave lead of the 1990s TV hit serial The Unbeatables.Heartfelt and sexy, the stories of Amanda Lee Koe encompass a skewed world fraught with prestige anxiety, moral relativism, sexual frankness, and the improbable necessity of human connection. Told in strikingly original prose, these are fictions that plough, relentlessly, the possibilities of understanding Singapore and her denizens discursively, off-centre. Ministry of Moral Panic is an extraordinary debut collection and the introduction of a revelatory new voice.

Inheritance


Balli Kaur Jaswal - 2013
    Although her absence is brief, she returns as a different person.Over two decades, as Singapore’s political, social and cultural landscapes change, the family’s attempts to cope with the shifts—those coming from outside and from within—lead to some disastrous consequences. With the traditional expectations of their country on the one hand, and their own volition on the other, Amrit’s family must avoid imploding. How do we confront our legacies, and, when necessary, how do we accept change? Inheritance is a universal story of family, identity and belonging.

Regrettable Things That Happened Yesterday


Jennani Durai - 2017
    Jennani Durai is an exciting new voice in literature, a writer to watch!” –Tayari Jones, multi-award-winning author of An American MarriageA teenager discovers his grandfather's secret identity only after his death. A young immigrant to 1940s Singapore is convinced the end-times are nigh. A man is tasked with bringing the corpse of his estranged brother home from Phuket. A reporter is torn between doing her a job and respecting her friend’s privacy.From obituaries and job ads to crime reports and horoscopes, Regrettable Things That Happened Yesterday is a collection of ten short stories connected by the motif of newspapers, and the unexpected ways they end up affecting our lives.

The Naysayer's Book Club: 26 Singaporeans You Need to Know


Simon Paul Vincent - 2018
    Each activist, artist, architect, etc. is interviewed against the backdrop of his or her bookcase, putting front and centre a life of ideas and imagination.This is a book club for curious minds."We need more naysayers... We need to create new formulas, which you can't until you attack and challenge every sacred cow."–Kishore Mahbubani, former dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public PolicyFeatured: Tan Tarn How, Constance Singam, Tay Kheng Soon, Yeoh Lam Keong, Cherian George, Claire Leow, Remy Choo Zheng Xi, Teo Soh Lung, Thirunalan Sasitharan, Jennifer Teo, Dan Wong, Chua Beng Huat, Kirsten Han, Filzah Sumartono, Alex Au, Martyn See, June Chua, William SW Lim, M. Ravi, Loo Zihan, Vanessa Ho, Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib, Seelan Palay, Sonny Liew, Margaret Thomas and Thum Ping Tjin.More at http://naysayers.sg/Buy the book at: https://shop.epigrambooks.sg/products...Advance praise: "Right book, right time; read and be inspired by the naysayers in our midst as they battle against the odds."—Ismail Kassim, political journalist and author of No Hard Feelings“The 26 essays are inspiring accounts of the subjects: who they are, what they are, what they do, their exemplary efforts to speak up and their brushes with the law and the authorities in a society constrained by a matrix of repressive laws. Edifying and a must-read, especially for civil society activists.”—Peter Low, human rights lawyer and founder of Peter Low & Choo LLC"In Singapore there is a fine line between co-option by the establishment and ostracism by society. These delightful vignettes are about the brave men and women who tread it—often at great personal cost—expanding our collective imagination in ways the elite never can. Instead of calling for more naysayers, Singapore would do well to listen to those it already has."—Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, author of Floating on a Malayan Breeze“An inspiring collection of interviews with respected Singapore civil society activists. Not only do we hear how they came to be, why they do what they do, we take a peak into their bookshelves to understand the ideas that galvanised them. A book lover’s book!”—Tan Pin Pin, director of In Time to Come and To Singapore, with Love“Simon captures the other ways of thinking in Singapore with these rich and colourful profiles, revealing to us a Singapore that could have been, or perhaps a Singapore that might someday be. Naysayer's is a book about those who swim against the flow, but it isn’t about tiredness; it’s about hope.”—Daniel Yap, publisher of The Middle Ground"I was not disappointed in the depth and authenticity of the interviews… The chapters on Sonny Liew, the award-winning comic book maestro, and Thum Ping Tjin, the controversial historian who startles with his honest interpretation of history, will be among those I will turn to first."—Clement Mesenas, journalist and author of Dissident Voices and The Last Great Strike

Questions to Our Answers


Timothy Joshua - 2017
    It contains three main chapters, centred around answers to three main questions one would ask during different stages of a relationship. The questions are:What are we?Where are we going?How are we getting there?The poems, juxtaposed together with short stories take readers on a deeply reflective journey within themselves as they contemplate the deepest thoughts, doubts and hopes they carry for their past and present relationships.

The Minorities


Suffian Hakim - 2017
    Attempting to come to terms with it, he creates the Soundloft, a device that turns dreams into music. Helping him out are three of his best friends - Cantona, a promising Bangladeshi artist on the run from a construction company; Tights, a Chinese illegal immigrant with a pop culture fascination; and Shanti, a gifted lab technician hiding from her abusive husband. But when a powerful metaphysical entity begins haunting them, looking to find her way in the world of the living, he and his friends find themselves embroiled in a supernatural showdown that will result in either cartharsis, or the end of the world.

15 Ways to Stay Alive


Daphne Gottlieb - 2011
    Whether she’s writing about unanticipated outcomes (“After the Midway Ride Collapsed”), her mother’s passing (“Somewhere, Over”), or absurd situations (“Preoccupation”), Gottlieb’s deeply personal insights into the complex areas where life and contemporary culture collide offer readers a unique, thought-provoking perspective."I Have Always Confused Desire with Apocalypse"We met over a smallearthquake. Now, my kneesshake wheneveryou come aroundand I’ve noticed your handhas a slight tremor.Daphne Gottlieb is the award-winning author of seven books including the critically acclaimed poetry collection Final Girl (Soft Skull Press) and the graphic novel Jokes and the Unconscious (Cleis Press), illustrated by Diane DiMassa. Gottlieb has performed and taught creative writing workshops throughout the United States. She received her MFA from Mills College, and currently resides in San Francisco.

Why I am Not a Painter and Other Poems


Frank O'Hara - 2003
    The city was a place of endless possibility, and he captured the pace and rhythms, the quandaries and exhilarations of city life. This selection of his work is edited by Mark Ford.

Death of a Perm Sec


Wong Souk Yee - 2016
    It appears to be suicide, by a cocktail of morphine, alcohol and Valium. But upon investigation by a CID inspector, who might not be what he seems, the family discover there may be far more sinister circumstances behind his death, reaching the uppermost echelons of government. Death of a Perm Sec exposes the dark heart of power politics, from the country’s tumultuous post-independence days to the socio-political landscape of the 1980s.

State of Emergency


Jeremy Tiang - 2017
    Years later, a Malaysian journalist returns to her homeland to uncover the truth of a massacre committed during the Emergency. And in Singapore, Siew Li's niece Stella finds herself accused of being a Marxist conspirator.Jeremy Tiang's debut novel dives into the tumultuous days of leftist movements and political detentions in Singapore and Malaysia. It follows an extended family from the 1940s to the present day as they navigate the choppy political currents of the region. What happens when the things that divide us also bind us together?

If I Could Tell You


Jing-Jing Lee - 2013
    All of them know they will still be struggling to fit their lives into the new flats years later but no one protests. No one talks about it even as they are slowly being pushed out of their homes. Not Cardboard Lady, an eighty-year-old woman who sells scraps for a living. Not young Alex, who is left homeless after a falling out with Cindy. Not Ah Tee, who has worked at the coffee-shop on the ground floor of Block 204 for much of his adult life, and whose reaction to the move affects his neighbours in different ways.For some, the tragedy that occurs during their last days in Block 204 is a reminder of old violence, aged wounds. For others, new opportunities transpire. If I Could Tell You is about silence, the keeping and breaking of it, and what comes after.