Local flavour

Books can hold a special place in our memories. They mark seasons and milestones of a person’s or nation’s journey through time. They can challenge our imagination, thoughts and beliefs, often transporting us to different places and times.

This series is part of the Singapore Memory Project, a nationwide movement led by the National Library Board (NLB).

It aims to capture and document precious Singapore memories.

“In line with the NLB’s READ! Festival this year, the Singapore Memory Project hopes to reach out to members of the public to contribute their memories of reading,” said Mr Wan Wee Pin, NLB’s deputy director of engagement.

“It could be memories of their favourite books, their reading experiences or even their favourite bookstores, both past and present.”

In this instalment, three Singaporeans talk about their favourite local authors.

We wrote poems on the same subject

Name: Jollin Tan

Age: 21

What I do: Undergraduate, fashion blogger and author of two books of poems.

Favourite local author: Tania De Rozario

What I remember about her: Tania and I launched our books at the BooksActually’s 24-Hour Bookstore event in April last year.

After I presented one of my poems about self-harm from my book, Bursting Seams And Derivative Faith, she approached me and told me she had written a poem on the same subject.

When I got home, I read the poem and fell in love with her writing. Her work became an inspiration for my own writing, too.

Her book, Tender Delirium, is dark and confessional.

I particularly enjoyed one poem, What You Are, which is an expression of anger and hatred towards a person, but is written not with an attitude of defeat or sadness, but empowerment.

His book takes me to a different world

Name: Suffian Hakim

Age: 28

What I do: Creative director at a local production company and author

Favourite local writer: David Miller

What I remember about him: Most of the time, writers with a journalistic background lean towards writing non-fiction books, but David Miller, a former Straits Times journalist, writes stories that are part fact and part fiction.

Set in Singapore, Year of the Tiger is a story about a group of foreign workers digging a tunnel under the Padang, stumbling across a treasure vault and activating a booby trap.

On the surface, it seems to be nothing more than just a bio-terrorism thriller. However, the book explores many deep-seated issues that plague Singapore and it captures the different facets of Singapore society.

Miller has written a book which allows me to escape into a different and entertaining world, but still keeps me grounded, since it is set in surroundings familiar to me.

This book has earned a spot on a shelf I have at home, which holds only the best books.

I like how the author challenges norms

Name: Sim Yan Ying

Age: 19

What I do: Intern at a local theatre company

Favourite local writer: Kuo Pao Kun

What I remember about him: Reading his collection of plays in The Complete Works of Kuo Pao Kun was one of the ways I gained an all-round understanding of Singapore’s history and our post-independence struggles, beyond the textbook syllabus taught in school.

I admire Kuo for his courage and determination. He relentlessly pushed the boundaries of what is regarded as the acceptable norm through his scriptwriting and directing, even to the extent of landing himself in detention.

As he wanted the arts to be relevant and relatable to present society, he heavily promoted multilingual theatre and added a new dimension to Singapore theatre.

One of my favourite plays is Mama Looking For Her Cat, which features English, Malay, Mandarin, Punjabi, Hokkien, Cantonese and Teochew. It explores the socio-cultural divide between generations, the challenges that come along with it and the need for solidarity.

GIVING YOUR PAST A PRESENT

Is there a book you have read that changed your life?

Or maybe one that was so captivating that you have read it multiple times.

Share with us your memories of reading and of your favourite books in the “Books That Moved Me” campaign via the Singapore Memory Portal (www.singaporememory.sg).You can also “like” the movement’s

Facebook page: facebook.com/irememberSG

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