Book Box: Four new Singapore books
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SINGAPORE – In this week’s book box, The Sunday Times looks at four Singapore books hot off the press. Buy the books at Amazon
Don’t call him a confessional poet: Cyril Wong on Beachlight, his 16th poetry book
Singaporean poet Cyril Wong might have been one of the first home-grown writers to depict sexuality so frankly on the page, but on the occasion of his 16th poetry collection, he laments: “I’m not just a confessional writer leh.”
It is a label which has stuck since his first collection, Squatting Quietly (2002) – which drew comparisons to poets such as Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton – up till more recent books such as The Lover’s Inventory (2015), which won the Singapore Literature Prize.
Wong is one of Singapore’s first openly gay poets, and ardent fans know him for his direct and ardent lines: “The men we loved, the men we had, the men we wanted. / They have done far worse than fail to miss us – / they have forgotten us.”
Book review: Polished, picture-heavy book commemorates Wild Rice’s 20th anniversary
This handsome hardcover coffee table book is Wild Rice’s commemoration of its 20th birthday, which actually happened in 2020.
Of course, that year was memorable for all the wrong reasons, as the Covid-19 pandemic forced theatres to go dark around the world. Now, three years later, theatres are back in full swing and Wild Rice’s delayed book, written by resident playwright Alfian Sa’at, is finally out.
There are companies older than Wild Rice. Drama Box celebrated its 30 years in 2022, The Necessary Stage is 36 in 2023, while grand dame The Theatre Practice’s history dates back to 1965. But Wild Rice has indisputably had a sizable impact on the English-language theatre scene.
Author Kehinde Fadipe sets debut novel In Such Tremendous Heat in Singapore
Kehinde Fadipe is a big fan of Singapore’s scorching weather – so much so she titled her debut novel In Such Tremendous Heat.
“I just love it. It has to be incredibly humid for me to even notice the humidity,” says the British-Nigerian actress and writer, 40, who is dressed fittingly in a tropical print button-up for this interview.
Her novel follows the lives of three Nigerian expat women in Singapore – workaholic lawyer Dara, sharp-tongued banker Amaka and piano prodigy-turned-housewife Lilian.
While living out their expat dreams, they have their lives disrupted by a charming newcomer: British-Nigerian lawyer Lani.
Book review: Run Like A Woman addresses stigma of female athletes menstruating
Over six chapters, Dr Jason R. Karp and Natalie Dau break down the physical and hormonal differences women face as runners, particularly due to the menstrual cycle.
Dau, a fitness influencer and Singapore permanent resident from Australia, writes: “We don’t need to hide it (menstruation) or be ashamed to talk about it with a coach, and if he (or she) dismisses it, it may be time to find a new coach who does take it seriously.”
The chapters are informative, if a bit dry and repetitive about the different phases of the menstrual cycle and what it means for energy levels.
The Straits Times’ Weekly Bestsellers Aug 19
This week sees Roadkill For Beginners by Stephanie Chan on the bestseller list for fiction.
