Writer's profile : Alfian Sa'at

Alfian Sa'at's tangible presence in the Singapore Literary scene cannot be denied. As the resident playwright for the prominent theatre group W!LD RICE, his plays are a staple in the Singaporean play scene. As a writer, his contributions are even more impressive. With two short story collections under his name as well as two poetry anthologies, all published before he turns 35 - it is safe to say that Alfian is one of the frontrunners of Singapore literature in this millennium.In his works, he indulges in the stories of the minority races in Singapore (particularly Malays) as well as the maligned parts of Singaporean society. Despite dealing with severe issues, his works never fail to exude his wit and humour that never fails to make his work a joy to watch and read.

Name : Alfian Sa'at

D.O.B : July 18, 1977

Blibiography:

Plays

English

• Fighting (1994)
• Black Boards, White Walls (1997)
• Yesterday My Classmate Died (1997)
• sex.violence.blood.gore (co-written with Chong Tze Chien) (1999)
• Asian Boys Vol. 1 (2000)
• What's The Difference? (2001)
• Don't Say I Say (2001)
• poppy dot dream (2001)
• The Corrected Poems of Minah Jambu (2001)
• The Optic Trilogy (2001)
• 7 Ten: Seven Original 10-minute Plays: Not In (2003)
• Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol. 2 (2004)
• Tekka Voices (2004)
• Mengapa Isa? (2004)
• The Importance of Being Kaypoh (2005)
• Harmony Daze (2005)
• Confessions of 300 Unmarried Men: Blush (2006)
• Homesick (2006)
• Happy Endings: Asian Boys Vol 3 (2007)
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (2008)
• Beauty And The Beast (2009)
• Cooling Off Day (2011)

Malay

• Deklamasi Malas (Declamation of Indolence) (1997)
• Dongeng (Myth) (1997)
• Anak Bulan di Kampung Wa' Hassan (The New Moon at Kampung Wa' Hassan) (1998)
• Madu II (Polygamy) (1998)
• Causeway (1998)
• Peti Kayu Ibuku (My Mother's Wooden Chest) (translated into Malay from Kuo Pao Kun's translation of Ng Xin Yue's original Mandarin text) (1999)
• The Miseducation of Minah Bukit (2001)
• Tapak 7 (Seven Steps) (2001)
• Selamat Malam Ibu (adapted from 'night Mother by Marsha Norman) (2003)
• Keturunan Laksmana Tak Ada Anu (adapted from Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral by Kuo Pao Kun) (2003)
• Minah & Monyet (Minah & Monkey) (2003)
• Nadirah (2009)
• Pariah (alternatively staged as Parah) (2011)

Mandarin

• Fugitives (失控)(co-written with Ng How Wee) (2002)

Short Stories

English

• Corridor (SNP, 1999) 

Malay

• Bisik: Antologi Drama Melayu Singapura (Whisper: Anthology of Malay Singaporean Drama) (Pustaka Cipta, 2003)

Poetry

• One Fierce Hour (Landmark Books, 1998) 
• A History of Amnesia (Ethos Books, 2001)  

My take on Alfian Sa'at 
From his works featured in the anthology we are learning for SSA120, Alfian's voice as a writer is clear and resounding. His poem 'Singapore you are not my country' especially is my personal favourite. His harsh criticisms contrast with the poignant reminiscing of Singapore in a better time makes for a really satisfying read. Alfian in many ways likes his work to confront readers just like how 'Singapore you are not my country' managed to do with its confrontation of Singapore personified. This connection with the readers whether through his poetry or prose as well as with the audience in his plays is what in my opinion makes Alfian a truly gifted writer and a gem in our artistic community.

Profile: Toh Hsien Min

Toh Hsien Min is a Singaporean poet who has published notable collections of poetry such as The Enclosure of Love (Singapore, 2001) and Means To An End (Singapore, 2008). His work has been published in various periodicals such as London Magazine, Poetry Salzburg Review and Staple, as well as anthologies internationally.

He received the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore in 2010. Means to an End was also shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize in the same year. Hsien Min has also been a recipient of the Shell-National Arts Council Scholarship for the Arts.

Hsien Min founded the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore in 2001, the leading online literary journal in Singapore. It is a non-profit organization that aims to “promote the literary arts in Singapore, to stimulate the feedback mechanisms in the literary scene, and to develop Singaporean writers to international standards.” Such an endeavor seems to testify this poet’s dedication and commitment to the arts. The magazine also works with other notable Singaporean writers such as Heng Siok Tian, Cyril Wong, Yong Shu Hoong and Yeow Kai Chai.

Hsien Min read English at Keble College, Oxford, where he was also President of the Oxford University Poetry Society.

Hsien Min’s current professional occupation is in risk analytics in an international bank.

Credits:

http://www.qlrs.com/about.asp

http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~hsienmin/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarterly_Literary_Review_Singapore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toh_Hsien_Min

http://www.arsint.com/T_H_M_sm.jpg

An Introduction.

 

We are students of SSA1207. This website is our project. We hope to provide interesting snippets of information and analysis related to the study of Singapore literature – covering all types of literary work from plays to poems.  Our website will focus on 5 selected writers – profiling their work and having interviews with them where possible

The writers we have chosen to focus on are ; Alfian Sa'at, Toh Hsien Min, Su chen Christine Lim, Kuo Pau Kun and Robert Yeo. A selection of our chosen writer's work can be found in 'Writing Singapore : An Historical Anthology of Singapore Literature'.

Learning the roots and development of Singapore literature has been an enriching experience thus far and we hope through this website we are able share and spread the literary joy. 

Lit, wit and beyond.

Suhaidah, Silei, Ian, Tingwei & Zayana.