Prose
THE SEARCH
THE SEARCH
Prose
Prose
THE SPIDER THAT LIVES OUTSIDE ITS WEB
THE SPIDER THAT LIVES OUTSIDE ITS WEB
This short story by Singapore Tamil writer Latha is a meditation on isolation, memory, and the power of a good narrative. Translated from Tamil into English by established translator Sulosana Karthigasu, it follows a story told over a series of conversations, and examines how the act of listening affects the listener.
Prose
THE BEDROOM TRAVEL AGENCY
THE BEDROOM TRAVEL AGENCY
Caterina Poh translates this short story by Xiao Han, a celebrated Singapore writer and lyricist, from Chinese into English. A work of speculative fiction, the story looks at familial and romantic relationships through the lens of an imagined world to ask: What does it mean to be alive, and just what do we live for?
Prose
LOST NOSTALGIA
LOST NOSTALGIA
A man leaves Singapore for decades, but carries the island in his heart. What happens when he returns to find a vastly more affluent society set in an unrecognizable landscape? Nazry Bahrawi translates this short story by Singapore Malay cultural icon Mohamed Latiff Mohamed into English for the first time.
Prose
THE HOLE
THE HOLE
In 2015, under the guidance of renowned Myanmar translator Moe Thet Han, a group of budding translators in Yangon translated the short stories of Singapore writer Alfian Sa’at from English into Myanmar. We feature one of them here, a reflection on capital punishment that asks: what changes when the one executed is your own flesh and blood?
Prose
《杀人犯》
《杀人犯》
Singapore pioneer translator Chan Maw Woh contributes the Chinese translation of this short story by award-winning Malay writer Yazid Hussein, whose achievements include the 2014 Singapore Literature Prize and 2009 NAC Golden Point Award. Sentenced to capital punishment, what do you think about in the days leading up to your demise?
Prose
EXCERPT FROM ‘LONELY FACE’
EXCERPT FROM ‘LONELY FACE’
Natascha Bruce translates an excerpt from Lonely Face, a novel by Singapore Cultural Medallion winner Yeng Pway Ngon. An intensely intimate and detailed portrait of a forty-year-old man reeling from developments in his personal life, this translation provides to English readers a taste of the style of one of the Chinese’ speaking world’s most esteemed writers.
Prose
THE BOURGEOIS FAMILY
THE BOURGEOIS FAMILY
Though a highly influential figure in Malayan literary history, few of Miao Siew’s works are available in languages other than his native Chinese. This rare English translation paints a picture of a family’s carefully constructed life, examining how far a mother will go to look after her family and asking how that affects her child.