Singapore's largest book fair returns to Capitol Singapore

The Singapore Book Fair 2018. This year's edition will start on May 31 and run till June 9. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE - Several luminaries, including Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh, will share their experience with the creative processes that led to the publication of their books at the 10-day Singapore Book Fair this year.

The Chinese edition of Mr Goh's biography - Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story - will be launched at the fair at Capitol Singapore on June 4. The book was written by Mr Peh Shing Huei.

Prof Koh had co-written the book, Pedra Branca: Story Of The Unheard Cases, with former deputy prime minister S. Jayakumar and deputy attorney-general Lionel Yee.

Organisers have also lined up appearances by a number of other authors and illustrators.

They include Hong Kong author Leung Man Tao and local illustrator Richard Lee, who is known for his nostalgic renderings of Singapore icons.

The 34th instalment of the annual fair will start on May 31 and run till June 9.

Literature lovers can expect not just books from about 1,000 international publishers, but also heritage tours operated by local historians and guides.

Organised by Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) Chinese Media Group (CMG), the bilingual event will be officially opened by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, on June 1.

The book fair returns to Capitol but because of the turnout last year, organisers have expanded the venue.

It will stretch from the theatre to its outdoor plaza before snaking along the walkway leading up to the City Hall train station.

Ms Tong Ka-Pin, chief corporate officer of Perennial Real Estate Holdings, which owns and manages Capitol Singapore, said: "We hope our collaborative efforts with SPH will enhance the literary scene in Singapore and make the signature event accessible to visitors across all walks of life."

The fair will also offer a special rendition of the 2015 production, "It Could Have Been...", to commemorate the Singapore Bicentennial.

The production, which sees drama and the traditional Chinese art form of cross-talk come together, traces Singapore's journey from a fledgling colonial outpost to the gleaming metropolis it is today.

"We hope that visitors will not only encounter new books, but they will also have the opportunity to enhance their reading experience with an unexpected meeting with writers, artists, celebrities and other book lovers," said Ms Loh Woon Yen, chairman of the book fair's organising committee and managing editor of SPH CMG.

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