After a month of writing blogposts about the writers we have chosen to focus on as well as Singapore Literature as a whole, it is finally time for us to let go of this little project. We set up this blogspot hoping to be a website worthy enough to attain a decent grade (we still do earnestly hope..) but we have come out of this month with a more enriched understanding of the Singapore literary scene as well as more inspired by these wonderful writers then we ever would have thought.
Here are the individual reflections from our group members :-
Suhaidah : Having been an avid (yet inadequate sigh) blogger for most of my adolescent life, blogging about Singapore literature specifically was a little challenging than my normal 'ramble-from-the-top-of-my-head' posts on other blogs. It was hard to not sound like I am writing an academic essay but still I wanted my writing to be credible enough for an academic project. Nonetheless,I thoroughly enjoyed reading up on Alfian Sa'at and writing about him and his literary work. In fact, this is a bit fangirl-y of me but I would officially say he is my favourite Singaporean writer. Writing posts for this project has been a nice little reprieve from the rigid academic writing we all have to do in our other modules. Also,my group mates being the insightful individuals that they are, have provided thought-provoking posts about the other writers and I definitely enjoy reading them as well. All in all, I feel extremely fortunate to have done this project with my group members and I hope the readers of this blog enjoy it as much as we did making it.
Silei: As a playwright and theatre practitioner who has passed on, it is heartwarming to see how Kuo Pao Kun's works have, in a sense, "lived on". While Kuo's case can be said to be specific to theatre rather than literature per se, the Kuo Pao Kun Festival 2012 shows us how there have also been re-interpretations by a new generation of theatre practitioners. Hence, it feels like Kuo's work has transcended his generation to continue to play a role in the scene of Singapore literature (and theatre) today. In that sense, it poses the question: Who else may be able to do the same in the future in order to maintain and enrich Singapore literature across time?
In this project, the chance to explore his background and works was valuable in deepening my understanding of his works. At this juncture, I think I would like to understand more about other Singaporean playwrights as well, especially today, when writing scripts seems almost "fashionable". Hence, I think I would like to continue this exploration (though perhaps in a less formalized way) of the Singapore literary/theatrical scene. Suhaidah's exploration of Alfian Sa'at is a good place to start!
Zayana :
Through this project, I was forced to explore practically all of the works of Toh Hsien Min. Fortunately, this was an attainable achievement as his works currently only include 3 collections. I learnt to appreciate the style of this poet. On the other hand, I was also appreciative of the growth and depth I see evolving in his work, when I explored it chronologically. I observed the change and maturation of his writing. The exploration of one poet’s works to such depth was a new experience for me and although it was an amateurish attempt, I found the process enriching. Going beyond our academic introduction to Singapore literature was enlightening, because we saw the different opinions and portrayals of Singapore in the literary art form.
Prior to this module and this project, I was not aware of the richness of Singapore literature. I underestimated its potential. Now, I am excited to check out even more works by Singaporean writers because I have learnt about the uniqueness Singapore literature hold.
Tingwei : Through this project, I was given a lot of exposure on Singaporean writers and their works. I've learnt how to appreciate Singapore literature on a deeper level, and am especially intrigued by the different layers of culture that was brought out by Suchen Christine Lim in her novel. Contrary to what people usually say about Singapore, that we are a young country with no history to speak of, Suchen Christine Lim as well as the other Singaporean writers mentioned in this project gave Singapore a history so fascinating and uncovered many hidded aspects of Singaporean life that have been forgotten.
Ian: Exploring Singapore literature on my own and in class has taught me about Singapore history and culture from a perspective I would have missed out on if I had just taken a history class. The poets, playwrights and authors that we read really succeeded in revealing to me the life and blood of Singapore and making it all come alive. I think that Robert Yeo was a good fit for me to take a more in depth look on because his perspective carries with it a considerable amount of historical value; just like how we discussed Goh Poh Seng in class. I took this class and carried out this project to be one of my "fun" studies, but in the end I feel that it was one of the more interesting and useful of the things I have studied this semester. I look forward to picking up some more Singapore books to accompany me on my travels through the rest of the semester.
With that we close our project :)
Thank you,folks!
