Alexander Street: Literature, Drama, and Performing Arts

Singapore Slang

Singapore was a British colony until 1963 and became an independent nation in 1965.  They are the world's 17th wealthiest nation by GDP.  It would be interesting to compare the writings of India to Singapore.  While the Indian economy is growing, there is still a massive amount of deeply entrenched poverty.  (Not to mention myriad class intracacies/issues.)  What similarities might arise when comparing the post-colonial literature of both nations?  Do regional post-colonial economies demonstrate similar characteristics in terms of device, subtext, and theme in their literature?  It is a tempting question that must be approached by avoiding  generalizations about either tradition.  Heck, even attempting to say what constitutes a 'tradition' is dangerous. (Saving the canon debate for another day.)  Still, details can be extracted and context deepened simply by asking a question, responding in good faith, reading, and thinking.  Here are some books in our database from Singaporean authors.

The City of Forgetting: The Collected Stories of Gopal Baratham, by Gopal Baratham. (Times Books International, Singapore, 2001). 384pp.
Abraham's Promise, by Philip Jeyaretnam. (Times Books International, Singapore, 1995). 178pp.
They Do Return...But Gently Lead Them Back, by Catherine Lim. (Times Books International, Singapore, 1983). 119pp.

Discovering Toro Dutt

Still barred thy doors! The far east glows, The morning wind blows fresh and free. Should not the hour that wakes the rose Awaken also thee?

One of the best things about working at Alexander Street is discovering writers who have largely been overlooked by Western scholars and academics. I’ve recently been reading the Calcutta poet Toro Dutt, whom I discovered while working on our new South and Southeast Asian Literature in English database. She published just one book of poetry, “A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields,” before her untimely death at age 21. Her poetry is haunting, beautiful, and technically outstanding- it’s hard to believe she was just a teenager when she was writing!

South and Southeast Asian Literature in English, launching in the coming weeks, will contain all of Toro Dutt’s poems, along with the works of other writers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Fiji.