S’pore Writers Festival to sport new theme, country focus

SINGAPORE – The annual Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) will return to the civic district for its 20th edition from Nov 3 to 12, with a new theme and country focus.

SWF chose Ireland as its country focus this year, celebrating the impressive literary achievements of a nation whose population of five million is comparable to that of Singapore.

Ireland is known for its rich literary history, producing such creative giants as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, CS Lewis and Bram Stoker, who is best known for his gothic thriller, Dracula.

Most recently, reported The Guardian newspaper, the year 2015 saw the rise of a new wave of Irish writers, from Paul Murray, Kevin Barry and Donal Ryan to first-time authors such as Eimear McBride, Sara Baume, Lisa McInerney and Colin Barrett producing titles that were picked up by Ireland’s own dynamic publishing scene.

As a lead-up to the upcoming festival, SWF is collaborating with Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Division of English to present a special SWF POP event, Islands of the Mind: Ireland and Singapore – A Cultural Evening, at The Projector, Redrum, on July 27.

SWF POP is a year-long series of pop-up events that brings literary arts to audiences in different venues around Singapore in a fun and accessible manner. The special event will feature writers and performers from Ireland and Singapore such as Julian Gough, Marina Carr, Pooja Nansi, Samuel Lee and Cheryl Julia Lee.

There will also be a performance of scenes from Carr’s play, By the Bog of Cats, by NTU students.

“I hope this evening of readings and performances by Irish and Singapore writers will inspire young literature enthusiasts to pick up their pens,” said Dr Neil Murphy, an associate professor at NTU’s Division of English.

“Despite its small population size, Ireland has a rich intellectual history, with an abundance of literary giants. Singapore is full of young and promising talents who will benefit greatly from this cross-cultural programming,” he added.

Run by the National Arts Council, SWF is Singapore’s premier annual literary event, presenting the world’s major literary talents to Singaporeans while shining a spotlight on homegrown creative talents.

Following last year’s first non-English theme of Sayang, this edition’s theme focuses on the Tamil word Aram, which is famously used in the first line of Aathichudi, the single-line Tamil proverbs written by ancient Tamil female poet Avvaiyar, which are organised in Tamil alphabetical order and taught to children.

Meaning “goodness” and “doing good”, Aram envisions an ideal which humanity can aspire to, in thought, word and action.

“Essentially we are trying to explore humanity (and the) values you live (by), whether or not you are rich or poor, or privileged or otherwise. We invite authors who can address these issues especially in these times, questions about good and evil, virtue and vice, issues about identity, sense of belonging, national narrative, personal narrative,” said SWF festival director Yeow Kai Chai.

As with last year’s launch of early-bird festival passes — which give festival-goers access to a rich slate of programmes featuring a line-up of international and Singaporean writers, speakers and performers — the SWF will continue its advance sales initiative starting early August. Reena Devi