Abstract
Introduction
The prominence of Tash Aw and Tan Twan Eng in the landscape of Malaysian and Singaporean literature in English continued during the year. Aw’s Five Star Billionaire was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. This brought up to four the total number of novels written by Malaysians that have been long-listed for the prize, all of them written by Aw or Tan. It could be noted that novels written by Singaporeans have not been long-listed thus far. Whilst there is a host of factors that usually lead to the long-listing of novels for the prize, of which literary merit – important as it is – is only one of several factors, this is a fact that does not easily go away.
Aw’s novel however, unlike Tan’s Garden of Evening Mists in the previous year, did not go on to be shortlisted for the prize. Tan’s novel’s good fortunes did not end with its Booker shortlisting in 2012. In 2013, it went on to win the Man Booker Asian prize, beating some of the best works of fiction written by novelists in Asia, including the new novel written by the Turkish winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 2006, Orhan Pamuk. Tan’s novel then went on to win the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, beating Hilary Mantel’s Bring up the Bodies, which had beaten his novel to the Man Booker Prize the previous year. These prizes not only further entrenched Tan’s position as a dominant figure in Malaysian literature, but also boosted his importance as a figure in world literature.
A third novelist who was very much in the news during the year was the Singapore-born writer who now lives in the United States, Kevin Kwan. His novel, Crazy Rich Asians was rightly compared to Aw’s Five Star Billionaire, but more for their related themes than their style or approach to narrative. Both of them deal with ostentatious wealth at different locations: Shanghai in Aw’s novel, and Singapore in Kwan’s. Aw’s novel, however, with its interlocking narratives, is a more complex book than Kwan’s, which has a disarming crudeness in its approach to fictional narrative, that is, closer to more ancient satirical fiction than to the modern or postmodern novel. The simpler technique of Kwan’s novel makes it a text that could be more easily filmed, and indeed a major film contract was sealed during the year.
In spite of the obvious strength of the novel in contemporary Malaysian literature in English, the other major genres continued to be relatively neglected by Malaysian authors. Whilst there were ten works of fiction published during the year, only one volume of poetry and one volume of collected plays by Malaysian authors were published. Interestingly, the individual poetry and drama volumes were both published in Singapore. Again, in a prevalent pattern that has not changed over the years, the lack of comprehensiveness of Malaysia’s literary output formed a stark contrast to Singapore’s. Although Singapore had double the number of fictional works when compared to Malaysia, its literary output was not largely confined to fiction. Singaporean authors produced fourteen volumes of poetry, and although only three volumes of dramatic works were published, it was more than the sole volume published in Singapore by the single Malaysian playwright.
As mentioned in the Introduction to the previous year’s Bibliography, a noteworthy feature of the successful prize-winning Malaysian novels is that they were written by expatriate Malaysians who published their works abroad. This could be seen in a number of novels published this century, such as Rani Manicka’s The Rice Goddess, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Southeast Asia and the Pacific in 2003, and Tash Aw’s The Harmony Silk Factory, which won the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Novel in 2005. It was further seen, of course, in the Booker longlisting of novels by Tan and of Aw’s third novel in 2007, 2012 and 2013. To top it all, as mentioned above, Tan’s second novel was shortlisted for the Booker, and went on to win two other major literary prizes.
Singapore novels, in spite of their numbers, have not achieved a comparable record over the ten-year period. But arguably, even if they are good enough, most of them are not eligible for the Booker, as most Singapore novels are published locally, and only novels published in Britain can be considered for the prize. But, at the same time, this factor obviously highlights the significance of local publishers in publishing works by Singaporean writers, which has been noted in the Introductions to previous Bibliographies. Two important Singaporean literary publishers that emerged this century need to be mentioned again in relation to the year’s publications output: Epigram and Math Paper Press. As noted before, Epigram not only publishes new works, but also makes an attempt to usefully revive older out-of-print works. Math Paper Press has an interesting publishing policy, as it avoids funding from the National Arts Council, yet publishes the works of local authors for a profit; it has been successful in its aim for at least some of its literary publications.
However, to be an expatriate or emigrant author, publishing his or her work abroad, may not guarantee the extraordinary mass media buzz generated by Aw’s Five Star Billionaire and Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians in 2013. Balli Kaur Jaswal’s Inheritance and Tei Chiew-Siah’s The Mouse Deer Kingdom, for example, were more quietly received, but they are well written novels which should be more widely noticed. Jaswal’s talent, after the publication of her novel, was at least recognised in her new country, Australia: she was in the Sydney Morning Herald’s list of the Best Young Australian Novelists for the year.
Among other noteworthy developments during the year was the prolific Singaporean poet’s Cyril Wong’s first novel (perhaps more strictly speaking a novella), The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza, which was published in addition to two volumes of his poetry. The Malaysian poet Cecil Rajendra, however, did not produce a new book of poetry during the year but published a biography of the Malaysian striptease artist, Rose Chan, instead. Mention should also be made of the new volume of short stories by O Thiam Chin, the publication of Ovidia Yu’s latest novel in the United States, and after a ten-year gap, Claire Tham’s publication of a new novel.
Finally, there was an announcement during the year that the Singapore International Festival of Arts would be independent and no longer run by the National Arts Council. It would be led by a new team, and Ong Keng Sen was surprisingly appointed as its Director. In an interview with Terry Ong of Asia City Online: Singapore, the new jet-setting Director of the Festival confessed that he had “never spent more than six months in a year in Singapore since 1997.” Every year, he made it a point to visit Italy at least once, and spent much of his time in New York, which he regards as his “Mecca.” As a contrast, he described Singapore as a “cage” and when he was offered the appointment as Director of the Festival, he said he felt like he was “being dragged back home”. But he accepted the offer anyway, not wanting to regret it later. In an interview with Helmi Yusof of Singapore’s Business Times, Ong compared the Festival that he would be directing to a three-star Michelin restaurant: during the Festival, Singaporeans would be able to “enjoy a three-star Michelin meal” and not just be constrained to their usual fare of home-cooked food. Indeed. Whether the Festival would succeed as well as when it was organised by the National Arts Council, however, remains to be seen.
Bibliography
Bibliographies
Singapore
Singapore National Bibliography National Library (Singapore [1993–present]) From Volume 1 onwards (July 1993) DVD-ROM, semi-annual, each update being cumulative.
Regional
Four Chinese Families in British Colonial Malaya: Confucius, Christianity and Revolution Linda Y.C. Lim 138pp Blurb (Ann Arbor) US $22.39.
Saudade: The Culture and Security of Eurasian Communities in Southeast Asia Antonio L. Rappa 249pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $30.
Malaysia
Rhetoric and Realities: Critical Reflections on Malaysian Politics, Culture and Education Zaharom Nain xx+258pp Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (Petaling Jaya) RM30.
Singapore
Eating Her Curries and Kway: A Cultural History of Food in Singapore Nicole Tarulevicz xi+204pp University of Illinois Press (Chicago) US $50.
Lee Kuan Yew’s Strategic Thought Ang Cheng Guan x+150pp Routledge (London) UK £85.
Squatters into Citizens: The 1961 Bukit Ho Swee Fire and the Making of Modern Singapore Loh Kah Seng xxvii+315pp NUS Press (Singapore) S $38
Parting Glances: Singapore’s Evolving Spaces Craig McTurk 209pp ORO Editions US $50.
The Tommy Koh Reader: Favourite Essays and Lectures 640pp World Scientific (Singapore) S $78.
Poetry
Malaysia
Chauly, Bernice Onkalo 47pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Singapore
Ip, Joshua Making Love with Scrabble Tiles 55pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Lau, Jocelyn Hello, Baby 63pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Lee, Madeleine One Point Six One Eight Φ 38pp (1 folded sheet) Ethos Books (Singapore) S $20.
Rozario, Tania De Tender Delirium 103pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Tan, Euginia Playing Pretty 175pp Euginia Tan (Singapore) S $18.
Tan, Jollin Bursting Seams 68pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
—– Derivative Faith 35pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Tan, Lixin Keeping Skeletons 51pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Wee, Jason The Monsters between Us 95pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Wong, Cyril After You 50pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
—– The Dictator’s Eyebrow 61pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $18.
Yam, Jerrold Scattered Vertebrae 109pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $16.
Yap, Arthur The Collected Poems of Arthur Yap xix+249pp NUS Press (Singapore). [Introduction by Irving Goh] S $32.
Yong, Shu Hoong The Viewing Party 127pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $18.
Drama
Malaysia
Huzir Sulaiman Huzir Sulaiman: Collected Plays, 1998-2012 ed and introd Kathy Rowland 416pp Checkpoint Theatre (Singapore) S $29.90.
Singapore
Sharma, Haresh Don’t Forget to Remember Me vii+146pp The Necessary Stage (Singapore) S $22.
Sim, Desmond Six Plays 291pp Epigram Books (Singapore) foreword Ekachai Uekrongtham S $24.90.
—– Student Plays 244pp Epigram Books (Singapore) foreword K.K. Seet S $16.90.
Fiction
Malaysia
Aw, Tash Five Star Billionaire 448pp Fourth Estate (London) UK £18.99.
Bissme S. Doubt: 45 Stories of Life, Love and Loneliness 136pp Merpati Jingga (Petaling Jaya) RM21.
Choo, Yangsze The Ghost Bride 368pp William Morrow (New York) US $14.99.
Flint, Shamini Inspector Singh Investigates: A Calamitous Chinese Killing 309pp Piatkus (London) UK £7.99.
Gnanaselvam, Paul Latha’s Christmas and Other Stories ix+176pp MPH Group Publishing (Petaling Jaya) RM19.90.
Khalid, Khaliza Wedding Speech 266pp Fixi Novo (Petaling Jaya) RM19.90.
Rozlan Mohd Noor Bayu (Wind) 250pp Silverfish Books (Kuala Lumpur) RM35.
Tei Chiew-Siah The Mouse Deer Kingdom viii+365pp Picador (London) UK £8.99.
Tunku Halim Abdullah 7 Days to Midnight 153pp MPH Group Publishing (Petaling Jaya) RM19.90.
Zhang Su Li A Backpack and a Bit of Luck ix+285pp MPH Group Publishing (Petaling Jaya) RM32.90.
Singapore
Chin, Audrey As the Heart Bones Break 364pp Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) US $18.99
Chng, Joyce Rider 157pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $18.
—– Speaker 68pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $18.
Chua, Joyce Lambs for Dinner 327pp Straits Times Press (Singapore) US $12.50.
Fong, Otto Bitter Suites 217pp Ottonium Comics (Singapore) US $12.95.
Jalil, Danny The Machine Boy 260pp Straits Times Press (Singapore) US $12.50.
Jaswal, Balli Kaur Inheritance 294pp Sleepers Publishing (Collingwood) A $24.95
Kwan, Kevin Crazy Rich Asians 403pp Doubleday (New York) US $24.95.
Lee, Amanda Koe Ministry of Moral Panic 204pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $18.90.
Lee Jing-Jing If I Could Tell You 196pp Marshall Cavendish Editions (Singapore) US $15.99.
Nalpon, Gregory The Wayang at Eight Milestone: Stories & Essays ed Angus Whitehead xxi+183pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $18.90.
Ng Su-Jin Phenomenon no. II: An Analysis by X 38pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $25.
O Thiam Chin Love, or Something like Love 116pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $22.
Soh, Katherine Nurse Molly Returns: A Novel 185pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $22.90.
Soh, Russ Not the Same Family 188pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $20.
Tham, Claire The Inlet 317pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $23.
Wee, Kiat Azalea Dreams, Bamboo Lives 307pp Celestial (Singapore) S $25.
Wong, Cyril The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza: A Novel 147pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $18.90.
Woon Tai Ho Riot Green 244pp Candid Creation Publishing (Singapore) S $18.70.
Yu, Ovidia Aunty Lee’s Delights 260pp William Morrow (New York) US 14.99.
Anthologies
Regional
Eastern Heathens: An Anthology of Subverted Asian Folklore eds Amanda Lee Koe and Ng Yi-Sheng 136pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $23.
Malaysia
KL Noir: Red ed Amir Muhammad 270pp Fixi Novo (Petaling Jaya) RM19.90.
KL Noir: White ed Amir Hafizi 274pp Fixi Novo (Petaling Jaya) RM19.90.
Love in Penang ed Anna Tan 299pp Fixi Novo (Petaling Jaya) RM19.90.
Travelscapes: Alternative Journeys ed Raja Ahmad Aminullah vii+94pp R A Fine Arts (Kuala Lumpur) RM22.
Singapore
Balik Kampung 2A: People and Places ed Verena Tay 146pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $22.
Balik Kampung 2B: Contemplations ed Verena Tay 144pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $22.
The Epigram Books Collection of Best New Singaporean Short Stories: Volume One ed Jason Erik Lundberg xiii+273pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $24.90.
From the Belly of the Cat ed Stephanie Ye v+233pp Math Paper Press (Singapore) S $22.
Little Things: An Anthology of Poetry eds Loh Chin Ee, Angelia Poon and Esther Vincent 163pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $16.
Passages: Stories of Unspoken Journeys ed Yong Shu Hoong 204pp Ethos Books (Singapore) S $22.
Stories in the End Eric Low, Ng Yi-Sheng and Tania De Rozario 78pp The Substation (Singapore) S $26 [fairy tales by the three writers].
Criticism
Regional
“Amanda Lee Koe and Ng Yi-Sheng, eds. Eastern Heathens…” Roderick B. Overaa Asiatic 7(2) pp344–347 http://goo.gl/jZUh1g [review of the anthology; see
“Banned Books Week: In Asia, Freedom of Speech Is Not as Simple as It Seems” Tash Aw The Guardian (UK) 26 September http://gu.com/p/3j37h [the novelist’s reflections on censorship in Malaysia and the region as a whole].
“Call of Two Cities” Shreekumar Varma Deccan Herald 7 September http://goo.gl/qucxA8 [review of A Monsoon Feast, see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p533].
“Hot off the Press; Folklore Reloaded” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 14 April http://goo.gl/lj2PpU [review of Eastern Heathens, see
“A Monsoon Feast” V. Rajaraman Free Press Journal 27 October http://freepressjournal.in/?p=244410 [review of A Monsoon Feast, see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p533].
National Consciousness and Literary Cosmopolitics: Postcolonial Literature in a Global Moment Weihsin Gui 220pp Ohio State Univ Press (Columbus, Ohio) US $59.95.
Theatre and Performance in the Asia-Pacific: Regional Modernities in the Global Era Denise Varney, Peter Eckersall, Chris Hudson and Barbara Hatley Palgrave Macmillan (Houndmills, Basingstoke) xiii+253pp UK £50.
Malaysia
“Ethnographic Tactics and the Cosmopolitical Aesthetic in Contemporary Malaysian Fiction” in Gui National Consciousness and Literary Cosmopolitics pp162–197 [see
“Fewer Sponsors May Mean Curtains for Indie Theatre” Yong Yen Nie Straits Times 7 January.
“Power of Stillness” Patrick McDonald The Advertiser 21 September p18 [Malaysia’s Instant Cafe Theatre Company’s use of satire to examine social issues at the Ozasia Festival].
“Shedding Light on Society” Natalie Heng The Star (Malaysia) 6 August http://goo.gl/fCqIl8 [Malaysian art groups and the contribution of the arts to society].
“What’s Eating the Arts?” Natalie Heng The Star (Malaysia) 5 August http://goo.gl/giKnj3 [on the lack of an advocacy movement in Malaysian performing arts].
Singapore
“60-Something; The Man behind the Books” Richard Lim Straits Times 31 August [interview with publisher Alex Chacko].
“Of Art and Anarchy: Is Singapore Open to Fostering Disruptive Art?” Blake Gopnik Newsweek 8 February http://www.newsweek.com/node/63271.
“Arts Fest to Be like ‘Three-Michelin Star Meal’” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 3 May [the surprising appointment of Ong Keng Sen as the director of the next Singapore Arts Festival].
“Author! Author!” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 7 June [on the reluctance of Singaporeans to be playwrights].
“Bending Laws, Reclaiming Lore” Laremy Lee Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(3) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=1037 [review of Eastern Heathens, see
“Can Singapore Accept Political Art?” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 26 April http://goo.gl/IAVUbC [Singaporean political art more likely to be accepted if it is ambiguous or refined].
“Changing Spaces: The Extended Metaphor of Singapore’s Urban Transformation” Yuen Sin Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(1) http://www.qlrs.com/essay.asp?id=977 [analysis of Singapore’s urbanisation through its English-language poetry].
“Creating a Manifesto on the Arts” Corrie Tan Straits Times 20 March http://goo.gl/U3pPoF [on a proposed Arts Manifesto to generally determine the principles and values that are central to the arts].
“Culture, Yes. A Culture Industry? No Thanks” Nazry Bahrawi Today (Singapore) 14 November p16 http://www.todayonline.com/node/331946.
“Double-the-Funds Boost for Arts, Heritage Groups” Huang Lijie Straits Times 2 November http://goo.gl/nXdtFi.
“Forum Theater in Singapore: Resistance, Containment, and Commodification in an Advanced Industrial Society” Kenneth Paul Tan Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique 21(1) pp189–221.
“Four Writers for Famed UK Writing Course” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 6 August [Singaporean writers Sharlene Teo, Stephanie Ye, Dave Chua and Ng Yi-Sheng doing the Masters in Creative Writing programme at the University of East Anglia].
“Here’s to 13 Years of Theatre” Ong Sor Fern Straits Times 25 June http://goo.gl/Cck9L0.
“In Search of a New Narrative” Chua Mui Hoong Straits Times 17 February http://goo.gl/yoDqj1 [on the revision of Singapore’s national narratives].
“Local Books’ Next Chapter” Clarissa Oon Straits Times 26 February [doubling of output of Singapore literary works by local publishers in 2012].
“Local Lit Goes on Screen” Lydia Vasko Straits Times 16 August http://goo.gl/kxnuYS [four short film adaptations of Singapore literary works].
“Local Lit in London Book Fair” Jennani Durai Straits Times 13 April http://goo.gl/5g92bc.
“Nanyang Technological University: Four Acclaimed Writers Call NTU Home” Singapore Government News 9 July http://goo.gl/93dpdS [Writers-in-residence at Nanyang Technological University, including Singapore poet Yong Shu Hoong, and Singapore-born authors Boey Kim Cheng and Balli Kaur Jaswal].
“National Arts Council to Present First-Ever Showcase of Singapore Literature at London Book Fair 2013” Singapore Government News 8 April http://goo.gl/voS7Jx.
“New Groups Take the Stage” Corrie Tan Straits Times 23 July [setting up of new theatre groups by young Singaporeans].
“Oh, the Places Singapore Tales Go” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 18 June [on four novels by Singaporean authors, published abroad].
“The Present Is a Foreign Country” Stephanie Ye Quarterly Review of Literature Singapore 12(1) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=994 [review of Balik Kampung ed Verena Tay, see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p533].
“Questions Raised over New Stage Licence Scheme” Corrie Tan Straits Times 14 March http://goo.gl/liJzqE [questions on the details of the new yearly licensing scheme for drama groups].
“Read My Travel Tale” Jennani Durai Straits Times 8 September [on travel writing by Singaporeans].
“Rewrite Prize Rules” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 8 January [on the need for the Singapore Literature Prize to change its rules, such as not lumping poetry and fiction together].
“Robert Yeo, ed. One: The Anthology” Verena Tay Asiatic 7(1) pp206–208 http://goo.gl/c55wFX [review of Yeo’s collection of short stories by Singapore short story writers (2012); see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p533].
“Singapore Arts Festival to Go Independent” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 12 January http://goo.gl/OnrpXa [the Singapore Arts Festival will no longer be government-led].
“Singaporean Authors a Hit This Year” Akshita Nanda MyPaper 11 December pA11 http://mypaper.sg/node/21546 [the appearance of Singapore authors’ works in the Straits Times bestseller list for the first time in five years].
“Singapore Can Be a City of Literature” William Phuan Today (Singapore) 24 October p23 http://www.todayonline.com/node/311461.
“Singapore Writers Festival 2013; 63 Local Books to Launch” Deepika Shetty Straits Times 3 September http://goo.gl/Reqivq.
“Steadily Made in Singapore; How Do We Tell the Singapore Story If No One Supports the Storyteller?” Kit Chan Today (Singapore) 21 August p56 http://www.todayonline.com/node/247236.
“Translating Anglophobia: Tensions and Paradoxes of Biliterate Performances in Singapore” Lee Tong-King Target: International Journal of Translation Studies 25(2) pp228–251.
“Universal Tales from New Storytellers” Ong Sor Fern Straits Times 17 September http://goo.gl/mu4vEz.
“Unmaking Sense: Short Fiction and Social Space in Singapore” Philip Holden The Postcolonial Short Story: Contemporary Essays Maggie Awadalla and Paul March-Russell eds Palgrave Macmillan (New York) pp49–63.
“Viewpoint; An Artistic Pairing Made in Heaven?” Clarissa Oon Straits Times 11 May [on the appointment of Lee Chor Lin as the Chief Executive Office and Ong Keng Sen as the Artistic Director for the 2014 Singapore Arts Festival].
“We May Have a Colourful Theatrical History, But Why Haven’t We Created a Canon for Theatre?” Robert Yeo Today (Singapore) 6 May p56
“What Chance Does a Singaporean Writer Have of Winning Something like the Booker Prize?” Kenneth Cheng Today (Singapore) p80
http://www.todayonline.com/node/304091.
“What Makes a S’porean? A Debate Returns” Simon Tay Today (Singapore) 8 April pp8–9 http://www.todayonline.com/node/109411.
“Whither Arts Regulation?” Clarissa Oon Straits Times 24 March [on the revision of arts regulation, for example, licences to theatre companies on a yearly instead of per-play basis].
“Write Space for Playwrights” Corrie Tan Straits Times 9 May http://goo.gl/QjEn80 [Singapore’s National Arts Council of a writing centre to nurture established and emerging playwrights].
Malaysia
Aw, Tash “All Good Writing Comes from Reading, Says Tash Aw” Rohini Nair The Asian Age 25 December http://goo.gl/OwSX1p [interview].
___ “The Asianist” Omkar Khandekar Open Magazine 30 November http://goo.gl/B6Y3RI [interview].
___ “Aw, He Doesn’t Like Vampires” Intan Maizura Ahmad New Straits Times 9 March p10 [interview].
___ “Aw Inspiring: Tash Aw’s Latest Work” Charlotte Middlehurst TimeOut Beijing 24 April http://goo.gl/5JXLzt [review of Aw’s Five Star Billionaire (henceforth FSB), see
___ “The Billion-Dollar Question” Ben East The National (Abu Dhabi) 3 September http://goo.gl/xfwtZw [interview].
___ “Book Of The Month; Five Lives in Flux” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 3 March [on FSB].
___ “Book Review: Five Star Billionaire, by Tash Aw” Philip Marchand National Post 12 July http://wp.me/pMyPM-vj6.
___ “Bright Lights of the New China” Adam Mars-Jones The Observer 24 February p40 http://gu.com/p/3dpzd [review of FSB].
—– “China Syndrome; Tash Aw Explores What Happens When People Migrate back to Their Homeland” Jason Beerman Toronto Star 28 July pIN4 http://goo.gl/wtfrV8 [review of FSB].
—– “A Conversation with Novelist Tash Aw” Neha Thirani Bagri NYT Blogs: India Ink 18 November http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=70911
___ “‘Five Star Billionaire’ Shows the Human Cost of Progress” Ellah Allfrey National Public Radio (US) 5 July http://goo.gl/mEC59X (text) http://goo.gl/Ldiruq (audio) [review of FSB].
___ “Five Disparate Characters Come together in an Ambitious Portrait of Cosmopolitan Shanghai” Stephen Amidon Sunday Times (London) 10 March.
___ “Five People Chasing the Five-Star Dream” Andrew Moody China Daily (Africa) 1 November p22 http://goo.gl/oGkoWM [interview on FSB].
___ “Five-Star Mentor” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 20 January http://goo.gl/sYk11q [interview centring on his appointment as writer-in-residence at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and on FSB].
___ “Makeover for the Motherland as the Wanderers Return ‘Home’” Salil Tripathi The Independent 16 March pp26–27 http://goo.gl/jCO9oR [review of FSB].
___ “Searching Far from Home in Shanghai” Kelly Chung Dawson China Daily (US Edition) p11 http://goo.gl/lL2MGy [interview on FSB].
___ “Self-Help Plot Is to Get Rich in China” Jan Stuart Boston Globe 16 July pG.8 http://goo.gl/VfziGO [review of FSB].
___ “Small Talk: Tash Aw” Anna Metcalfe Financial Times 1 March p10 http://goo.gl/gXbvDH [interview].
___ “Shanghai a Frustrating Character” Julienne Isaacs Winnipeg Free Press 6 July http://goo.gl/w7Ep4j [review of FSB].
___ “Shanghai Calling” Krys Lee Financial Times 22 March http://goo.gl/aslSkt [review of FSB].
___ “Shanghai Express” Julia Lovell The Wall Street Journal Online 17 July http://goo.gl/U2CKI6 [review of FSB].
___ “Shanghai for Strivers” Dwight Garner New York Times 1 August http://nyti.ms/1jFjNMU [review of FSB].
___ “Shanghai, Inside–Out…” Robert Hanks Daily Telegraph (London) 16 March p27 http://goo.gl/F751xh [review of FSB].
___ “Stellar Novel a Gratifying Tale of Subterfuge” Anne Chudobiak Calgary Herald 21 September http://goo.gl/Uu4VVL [review of FSB].
___ “Tales from the Original Sin City” Chitralekha Basu Sydney Morning Herald 13 April p32 http://goo.gl/s7Vvzr [review of FSB].
___ “Tash Aw: A Life in Writing” Maya Jaggi The Guardian (UK) 16 March p16 http://gu.com/p/3edcd [interview].
___ “Tash Aw on the Human Cost of China’s Growth” Ben Felsenburg Metro UK 28 February p46 http://wp.me/p2Vnvc-eLnl [review of FSB].
___ “Tash Aw’s Novel of Cash and Celebrity Draws Vivid Portrait of Shanghai” Michael Hingston The Globe and Mail 26 July http://goo.gl/X4hyYx [review of FSB].
___ “Tash Aw: The Promise of a New Start in Shanghai” Alden Mudge BookPage http://goo.gl/vRH7EQ [interview on FSB].
___ “The Way We Live Now” Aminatta Forna The Guardian (UK) 9 March p10 http://gu.com/p/3e54p [review of FSB].
___ “What They All Gave up in the Mad Rush” Tishani Doshi New Indian Express 28 April http://goo.gl/JNKM9L [review of FSB].
See also, in
Choo, Yangsze “Marrying the Dead” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 11 August http://goo.gl/PZu103 [interview].
Chuah Guat Eng “When Abused Women Get away with Murder: Law, Justice and Truth in Three English-language Malaysian Novels by Women” Chuah Guat Eng Asiatic 7(2) pp134–153 http://goo.gl/D9cvzd [also includes discussion of Ooi Yang May’s The Flame Tree (1998) and Marie Gerrina Louis’ The Eleventh Finger (2000)].
Dina Zaman “Dina’s Stories the Choice of Readers” Natalie Heng The Star (Malaysia) http://goo.gl/idf0ka [award of the Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Award for fiction to her collection of short stories, King of the Sea: see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) pp529, 532].
Huzir Sulaiman “Another Blast at Atomic Bomb Play” Corrie Tan Straits Times 15 October [preview of revival of Huzir’s Atomic Jaya in Singapore and interview with the author].
___ “Atomic Laughs” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 1 November http://goo.gl/WKvdR7 [review of Atomic Jaya].
___ “Blast from the Past; Playwright Huzir Sulaiman’s Atomic Jaya Continues to Reverberate after 15 Years” Mayo Martin Today (Singapore) 21 October 2013 p35 http://m.todayonline.com/node/307856 [preview of Atomic Jaya and interview].
___ “Explosively Funny” Business Times (Singapore) 4 October http://goo.gl/jyXTS3 [preview of Atomic Jaya and interview].
___ “What a Blast” Corrie Tan Straits Times 26 October [review of Atomic Jaya].
Jamal Raslan “Slammin’ Happy: From the Bank to Poetry, Jamal Raslan Makes His Stand” Sonia Belani Malay Mail 25 November p23.
Lim, Shirley Geok-lin “The Intricacies of Cosmopolitanism: Shirley Geok-lin Lim’s Among the White Moon Faces” Minhao Zeng Mosaic 46(1) pp77–93.
___ “‘Not Monological But Multilogical’: Gender, Hybridity, and National Narratives in Shirley Geok-lin Lim’s Writing” in National Consciousness and Literary Cosmopolitics [see
Louis, Marie Gerrina see Chuah “When Abused Women Get Away…,”
Ooi Yang May see Chuah “When Abused Women Get Away…,”
Tan Twan Eng “Cape Town’s Atmosphere Sparks the Imagination” Cape Argus 20 May p19 [interview].
___ “Malaysian Novelist Wins Man Asian Literary Prize” Kate Whitehead CNN Wire 15 March http://goo.gl/rVVKeB.
___ “Malaysian Novelist Wins Top Asian Literary Prize” James Pomfret Reuters News 14 March http://reut.rs/1x369Lu [official announcement that Tan won the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize].
___ “Tan Twan Eng: Each Book Gets Harder” Brittany Hite The Wall Street Journal 18 March http://goo.gl/pqL8iH [interview after winning the Man Asian Prize].
___ “A Novel Nurtured in the School of Law” Penny Haw Business Day 9 July http://goo.gl/MiVH1r [interview].
___ “Nurturing Memories” Ammara Khan Dawn 13 October http://www.dawn.com/news/1049462 [review of Garden of Evening Mists].
___ “Tale of Unlikely Friendship Wins Man Asian Prize” Kate Whitehead South China Morning Post 15 March http://www.scmp.com/node/1190938.
___ “Tan’s the Man after Winning Top Award” Beverley Roos-Muller Cape Argus 24 June p21 [awarded the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction].
___ “Tan Twan Eng Beats Hilary Mantel to Win £25,000 Prize for Historical Fiction” Jon Stock The Telegraph Online 15 June http://goo.gl/140E1f [on winning the Walter Scott Prize].
___ “What’s Next for Man Asian Winner Tan Twan Eng?” Brittany Hite Wall Street Journal (Asian Edition) http://goo.gl/AXyCiR [video interview].
Singapore
Alfian Sa’at “Curry for Thought” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 12 July http://goo.gl/dROmRl [review of performance of Alfian’s play Cook a Pot of Curry].
___ “Curry Just Warm but Still Good” Corrie Tan Straits Times 8 July [review of performance of Cook a Pot of Curry].
___ “Cut and Thrust of Gender Dynamics” Helmi Yusof Business Times http://goo.gl/YBCyDZ (Singapore) 17 July [review of performance of Alfian’s The Optic Trilogy].
___ “Playwright Alfian Sa’at’s Passion Play” Clarissa Oon Straits Times 13 August http://goo.gl/to0KRU [review of performance of The Optic Trilogy].
___ “Ready, Sa’at, Go!; It’s His Retrospective, But Alfian Sa’at Shies away from the Spotlight” Lim Jialiang Today (Singapore) 17 June p38 http://goo.gl/hLTuWN.
___ “Spotlight on Dark Realities” Corrie Tan Straits Times 15 July http://goo.gl/RxcFJU [review of performance of The Optic Trilogy].
___ “The Undoubted Success of an Alfian Sa’at Festival in July Prompts the Question: Who Could Be Next?” Robert Yeo Today 12 September p70–71 http://www.todayonline.com/node/269366.
Boey Kim Cheng “Boey Kim Cheng: Clear Brightness: New Poems” Eddie Tay Asiatic 7(1) pp171–173 http://goo.gl/LPCOeQ [review of Boey’s volume of poetry (2012), see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p531].
___ “Interview with Boey Kim Cheng; Boey Returns to Literary Roots” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 21 January http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/srn/?p=25576.
___ See also, “Nanyang Technological University…”
Chia, Christine “Say It with a Simpler Word if You Can” Jacqueline Woo MyPaper 30 July pA9 http://mypaper.sg/node/13168.
Chia, Josephine “Pages Full of Pioneer Spirit” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 10 March [interview].
Chiang, Michael “Class Romps to a High” Corrie Tan Straits Times 8 July [review of Chiang’s High Class, his first dramatic work in fourteen years].
___ “High Class Hilarity” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 12 July http://goo.gl/Aacusz [review of High Class].
___ “Man of Mass Appeal” Corrie Tan Straits Times 15 July http://goo.gl/TffkPS [interview].
___ “So Who Wants to Be a Tai Tai?” Corrie Tan Straits Times 8 May http://goo.gl/8kZYYN [preview of High Class].
___ “Tai Tais Unzipped” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 28 June [preview of High Class].
Chin, Audrey “War Wounds and Heart Breaks” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 22 December [interview, centring on her second novel As the Heart Bones Break: see
Chong, Eileen “Burning with Verse” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 30 June [interview].
Choy Ka Fai “Theatre Production in The Curve of the Wanton Sea Tries to Rewrite Singapore Creation Myths” Corrie Tan Straits Times 27 July http://goo.gl/CkQmGl [review of Choy’s stage production, The Curve of the Wanton Sea].
___ “Unearthing Forgotten Singapore Histories” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 19 July [preview of The Curve of the Wanton Sea].
Chua, Dave “Brittle Mirrors” Thow Xin Wei Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(2) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=1017 [review of Chua’s The Beating and Other Stories; see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 47(4) p538].
Elangovan “Media Development Authority Bans Elangovan’s Play Stoma” Huang Lijie Straits Times 10 January http://goo.gl/TxAT57.
___ “Elangovan Play Denied Licence – Stoma Contains ‘Sexually Explicit, Blasphemous References’ to Catholics and Christians: MDA” Mayo Martin Today 10 January p76.
Goh Boon Teck “Coming to Grips with Manhood” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 6 September http://goo.gl/Lmgf0I [preview of production of Goh’s The Penis Society].
___ “Local Sex Scandals on Stage” Corrie Tan Straits Times 10 September http://goo.gl/TUQy4j [interview].
___ “Male Behaviour: Patricia Toh’s Initiation into The Penis Society” Mayo Martin Today (Singapore) 2 September p41 http://m.todayonline.com/node/259456 [preview of The Penis Society].
Goh Poh Seng “Erratic as Thoughts: Goh Poh Seng’s Lines from Batu Ferringhi” Koh Jee Leong Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(4)
http://www.qlrs.com/essay.asp?id=1048 [reflections on Goh’s volume of poetry (1978)].
___ “Freedom and Fearlessness: The 1970s Novels of Goh Poh Seng” Clarissa Oon Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(4)
http://www.qlrs.com/essay.asp?id=1049.
Hennedige, Nathalie “Valentine to the Theatre” Corrie Tan Straits Times 17 June http://goo.gl/zOZKR7 [review of Hennedige’s Illogic].
Jaswal, Balli Kaur “Fiction; Inheritance” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 7 July [review of Inheritance, see
___ “‘Inheritance’ by Balli Kaur Jaswal” Peter Pierce The Monthly: Australian Politics, Society & Culture 86 (February) http://goo.gl/GOJrBu [review of Inheritance] Accessed 9 June.
___ See also, “Nanyang Technological University…”
Koh Jee Leong “O Charming Pageantry” Thow Xin Wei Quarterly Review of Literature 12 (1) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=995 [review of Koh’s poetry collection, The Pillow Book; see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p531].
Kon, Stella “Modernity and the Self in Singapore: Emily of Emerald Hill” Denise Varney, Peter Eckersall, Chris Hudson and Barbara Hatley Palgrave Theatre and Performance in the Asia-Pacific pp33–48 see
Kuo Pao Kun “Four Directors Salute Pao Kun” Helmi Yusof and Sara Yap Business Times (Singapore) 29 March http://goo.gl/Nm9EG0 [four directors from Taiwan, mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong combined to stage Salute to Kuo Pao Kun].
___ “Interview with Kuo Jian Hong: Passionate Life Player” Corrie Tan Straits Times 4 February http://goo.gl/JaKNa1 [interview with Kuo’s daughter].
___ “Top Directors Pay Tribute to Kuo” Corrie Tan Straits Times 4 April [see “Four Directors Salute Pao Kun” above].
Kwan, Kevin “Asia Shops till It Drops” Laura Eggertson Toronto Star 23 June pIN6 http://goo.gl/YQLWGK [review of Crazy Rich Asians, see
___ “Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan” Shinan Govani National Post 21 June http://wp.me/pMyPM-uMI.
___ “The Crazy Rich Are Different from You and Me: A Novel Hints at the Heights – and Traumas – of Asia’s Vacuous Wealthy” Joe Studwell The Wall Street Journal 1 August http://goo.gl/EZKsNl.
___ “Crazy Rich Asians” Ming Liu Caixin Online 2 August http://goo.gl/BsPEBa.
___ “Crazy Rich Asians’ Author Knows Subject Well” Metro (Canada) 19 June http://wp.me/p2fIyn-2Zet [interview and review of Crazy Rich Asians].
___ “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ by Kevin Kwan” S Kirk Walsh Boston Globe 5 July pG.6 http://goo.gl/9ViRxx.
___ “Crazy Rich Asians: New Book Takes Satirical Jab at Over-The-Top Luxury” Sarah Hampson The Globe and Mail 13 July pL4 http://goo.gl/DGeGNd [review of Crazy Rich Asians, see
___ “Crazy Rich Asians Presents a Whole New Wave of Stereotypes” Patricia Park The Guardian 3 September http://gu.com/p/3tdg6.
___ “Crazy Rich Asians: Showcasing Lifestyles of the Rich and Crazy” Marci Ien Canada AM 17 June http://goo.gl/39GTjl [video interview].
___ “Crazy Rich Asians Tackles Stereotypes via Satire” Elaine Lies Reuters News 5 September http://reut.rs/18Em986.
___ “A Family Blinded by Bling and Fancy Designer Names” Janet Maslin New York Times 1 July http://nyti.ms/1rei0Tz.
___ “Gawking at the Lifestyle of Crazy Rich Asians” Monique Polak Postmedia Breaking News 12 July.
___ “How to Become Filthy Rich in Rising China” Leyla Sanai The Independent pp26-27 http://goo.gl/q5FVPk.
___ “Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians ‘Juicy’ Summer Read” Jeanne Beker Toronto Star pL1 http://goo.gl/yvHaoz [review of Crazy Rich Asians and interview].
___ “Mad about Money” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 23 August http://goo.gl/wHuipa [on Crazy Rich Asians and other works by Asian authors, such as Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw, that centre on the obsession with financial wealth].
___ “The Modern-Day Manor-House Set – Kevin Kwan’s Debut Novel Crazy Rich Asians Is the Latest in an Age-Old Literary Tradition” Kristiano Ang Wall Street Journal 12 July pW3 http://on.wsj.com/14Mf2eW.
___ “Pride, Prejudice… and a Lotta Money” Christine Mazur Winnipeg Free Press 15 June pA1 http://shar.es/MRIPk [review of Crazy Rich Asians].
___ “Rich, Asian and Crazy” Cheche V. Moral Philippine Daily Inquirer 30 June http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/?p=110939 [review of Crazy Rich Asians].
___ “Richer Than God” Emma-Kate Symons Australian Financial Review 17 August p50.
___ “The Wild East” Kevin Kwan Sunday Times (London) 8 December pp33, 35.
Lee Jing-Jing “Caught in the Heartland” Paul Ng Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(2) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=1014 [review of If I Could Tell You, see
___ “Heartland Loss” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 27 January [interview, mainly on If I Could Tell You].
Lee, Madeleine “Athenaeum’s Lee Applies Creativity to Fund Management and Poetry Writing” Frankie Ho The Edge (Singapore) 8 April.
___ “Fine Swirls of Verse” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 24 March [interview].
Lim, Jonathan “Beautiful Bride Caught in Limbo” Ng Yi-Sheng Straits Times 25 March http://goo.gl/my0sWH [review of performance of The Bride Always Knocks Twice, a new multilingual play by Lim and Liu Xiaoyi].
___ “Enter Sisterhood; Strength in Numbers and Lots of Laughter” Mayo Martin Today (Singapore) 25 March p36 [review of performance of The Bride Always Knocks Twice].
Lim, Suchen Christine “Book of The Month; In Tune with Change” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 3 November [on Lim The River’s Song; although the publisher gives the year of publication for this book as 2014, advanced copies were made available during the Writer’s Festival in November 2013].
___ “Writing Dreams into Reality” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 11 November [interview].
Nalpon, Gregory “Gregory Nalpon’s ‘The Rose and the Silver Key’: A Historicist Reading” Angus Whitehead Asiatic 7(1) pp101–120 http://goo.gl/a7tREB.
___ “Gregory Nalpon, The Wayang at Eight Milestone: Stories and Essays” Philip Holden Asiatic 7(2) pp332–334 http://goo.gl/1PxRQU [review of Nalpon’s collection; see
___ “Whatever Happened to Gregory Nalpon?” Angus Whitehead Quarterly Review of Literature Singapore 12(1) http://www.qlrs.com/essay.asp?id=979 [essay on a neglected writer of short fiction].
Ng, Faith “Friendship Handy for Better ‘Marriage’” Corrie Tan Straits Times 5 March http://goo.gl/LeIYDx [preview of performance of her new play, For Better or for Worse].
___ “The Power of Two” Corrie Tan Straits Times 22 March http://shar.es/MT0DF [on her new play, For Better or for Worse].
___ “Raw, Unflinching Look at Marriage” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 1 March http://goo.gl/kBZJcD [preview of performance of her new play, For Better or for Worse].
Ong Keng Sen “Interview: Ong Keng Sen” Terry Ong Asia City Online: Singapore 11 July http://goo.gl/7MN21s.
___ “Ong Keng Sen’s Lear Dreaming: Humanity and Power in Process” Lisa Porter and Samantha Watson TheatreForum 43 pp80–90.
Pang, Alvin “Full On, Close Up” David Fedo Quarterly Review of Literature Singapore 12(2) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=1016 [review of Pang’s When the Barbarians Arrive (see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p532) and Other Things and Other Poems (2012), which was published in Croatia, and includes Croatian translations of his poems].
Tan, Euginia “Interview: Euginia Tan” Katrina Alana Katrina Alana (blog) 26 May http://goo.gl/C7gxEr.
Tan Tarn How “Fair Game” Huang Lijie Straits Times 20 July [review of restaging of Tan’s Machine].
___ “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 5 July http://goo.gl/UDmECN [revival of Tan’s play, Machine].
Tay, Jean “Brain Needs More Heart” Corrie Tan Straits Times 12 August http://shar.es/MT3a6 [review of Tay’s Everything but the Brain].
___ “Death and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 2 August http://goo.gl/9mI89u [preview of the restaging of Tay’s Everything but the Brain].
___ “History Is Relative” Corrie Tan Straits Times 15 March http://goo.gl/YR4tkr [review of performance of Tay’s Sisters – The Untold Stories of the Sisters Islands].
___ “Loss and Confusion Mar Compelling Tale” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 16 August http://goo.gl/wrv33f [review of Tay’s Everything but the Brain].
___ “On Sisterly Bonds and the Sinister” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) http://goo.gl/rypwY1 [preview of Tay’s Sisters – The Untold Stories of the Sisters Islands].
___ “Surviving Stroke” Corrie Tan Straits Times 30 July http://goo.gl/53gTwZ [restaging of Tay’s Everything but the Brain].
___ “Taking the Plunge into Writing” Corrie Tan Straits Times 11 March http://goo.gl/0FnK1p [interview].
Tham, Claire “Book of the Month: Mystery Ripped from Headlines” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 1 September http://goo.gl/NWTB9i [selection of Tham’s The Inlet (see
___ “Capturing the Nuances in ‘Us versus Them’” Clarissa Oon Straits Times 8 September [comparison of The Inlet with Anthony Chen’s movie, Ilo Ilo (2013)].
___ “Claire Tham, The Inlet” Arnapurna Rath Asiatic 7(2) pp359–362 http://goo.gl/wrIJaJ [review of Tham’s novel; see
___ “Mystery of Body in a Pool” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 25 August http://shar.es/MTH15 [interview, concentrating on her work The Inlet, her first novel in ten years].
___ “Ripples from the Headlines’ Stephanie Ye Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(4) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=1051 [review of The Inlet; see
Thumboo, Edwin “Ecology, Nature and the Human in Edwin Thumboo’s Poetry” Chitra Sankaran Asiatic 7(2) pp208–217 http://goo.gl/PUH7Ji.
___ “Edwin Thumboo’s ‘Difference’: Some Dilemmas of Post-colonial Creativity” Thiru Kandiah Asiatic 7(2) pp173–207 http://goo.gl/CiFMPE.
___ “Edwin Thumboo: Two Voices” Robert Lumsden Asiatic 7(2) pp218–229 http://goo.gl/lqGw9F.
___ “Enjambment in Thumboo’s Poem ‘Evening by Batok Town’” Bao Zhiming and Cao Luwen Asiatic 7(2) pp264–278 http://goo.gl/oZSkgx.
___ “Speaking Migrant Tongues in Edwin Thumboo’s Poetry” Eric Tinsay Valles Asiatic 7(2) pp230–244 http://goo.gl/jxz4za.
___ “Stepping into Meaning with ‘Iskandar J in His Studio’: Analysing the Poetry of Edwin Thumboo” Jonathan Webster Asiatic 7(2) pp279–298 http://goo.gl/7QnTRK.
___ “‘This Image of Themselves’: (Re)Discovering the Merlion’s Liminality” Ian Chung Asiatic 7(2) pp245–263 http://goo.gl/ymOzYM.
___ “Understanding Edwin Thumboo” Gwee Li Sui Asiatic 7(2) pp158–172 http://goo.gl/dcuG8h.
Sharma, Haresh “Best Bet” Corrie Tan Straits Times 26 January http://goo.gl/gNphtr [review of performance of Sharma’s monodrama, Best Of].
___ “City Thrives on Guilt” Nabilah Said Straits Times 31 August [review of performance of Sharma’s Mobile Cities 2: Flat Cities].
___ “Going Places in Mobile 2” Corrie Tan Straits Times 13 August http://goo.gl/N6qS7R [preview of Sharma’s Mobile Cities 2: Flat Cities].
___ “Haresh Sharma, Those Who Can’t, Teach” Carol Leon Asiatic 7(1) pp179–181 http://goo.gl/F4bJ3X [review of the print version of Sharma’s play; see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 46(4) pp657, 659].
___ “International Relations” Tan Sock Keng The Flying Inkpot 30 August http://goo.gl/noV4Eo [review of Mobile Cities 2: Flat Cities].
Sim, Desmond “Food for Love: One-Woman Show Promises Laughter and Revelation” Benedict Ng Malay Mail 28 June p27 [staging of Sim’s Postcards from Rosa at Penang and Kuala Lumpur].
Vadaketh, Sudhir Thomas “Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore” Julian C. H. Lee Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 44(3) pp522–523 [review of Vadaketh’s book; see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p540].
___ “View from Below” Daryl Lim Wei Jie Quarterly Literary Review Singapore 12(4) http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=1053 [review of Floating on a Malayan Breeze].
Wong, Eleanor “Eleanor Wong; Political Satire Used to Be Better” Straits Times http://goo.gl/xtAEJp [interview].
Wong Souk Yee “Exploring Mechanics of Power” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 27 December http://goo.gl/D1uMyM [review of Wong’s political play, Square Moon].
___ “Finally, Square Moon Hits the Stage” Huang Lijie Straits Times 6 November http://goo.gl/LvSHST [preview of the staging of Square Moon].
___ “In a Trap of Mixed Messages” Clarissa Oon Straits Times 23 December http://goo.gl/NCeDY2 [review of Square Moon]
___ “Square Moon Sheds Light on Dark Past” Helmi Yusof Business Times (Singapore) 29 November http://goo.gl/QVGpXY [preview of Square Moon].
Woon Tai Ho “Art Imitates Life for Ex-TV Chief” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 5 March http://shar.es/MTo6t [interview centring on his novel, Riot Green; see
Yeo, Robert “Robert Yeo, The Best of Robert Yeo” Susan Philip Asiatic 7(2) pp335–337 http://goo.gl/FCl7l3 [review of Yeo’s volume of poetry; see Journal of Commonwealth Literature 48(4) p532.
Yew, Chay “Performing Liquid Modernity: Chay Yew’s Visible Cities in Singapore” Denise Varney, Peter Eckersall, Chris Hudson and Barbara Hatley Theatre and Performance in the Asia-Pacific pp158–169 (see
Yu, Ovidia “Inking a New Life” Akshita Nanda Straits Times 7 October http://goo.gl/EJjDMe [interview].
___ “Yu Gets HarperCollins Book Deal” Business Times (Singapore) 6 September http://goo.gl/XjOxr7 [publication of her novel, Aunty Lee’s Delights by an American publisher].
Non-fiction
Malaysia
Rajendra, Cecil No Bed of Roses: The Rose Chan Story 279pp Marshall Cavendish Editions (Singapore) S $23.
Singapore
Cheong Yip Seng OB Markers: My Straits Times Story 452pp Straits Times Press (Singapore) S $32.50.
Chia, Josephine Kampong Spirit – Gotong Royong: Life in Potong Pasir, 1955 to 1965 236pp Marshall Cavendish Editions (Singapore) S $18.60.
Gwee, Monica Iskandar Ismail: The Music Man 128pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $24.90.
Gwee Thian Hock A Nyonya Mosaic: Memoirs of a Peranakan Childhood 214pp Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) S $23.
Lim, Monica The Good, the Bad and the PSLE: Trials of an Almost Kiasu Mother 197pp Epigram Books (Singapore) S $17.90.