Worthwhile to reprint SingLit classics

I refer to the report “Buy local campaign aims to boost S’pore literary scene” (Feb 3) and the letter “More can be done to make SingLit more accessible” (Feb 4).

Besides the ideas put forward to promote Singapore literature, or SingLit, I suggest that the various stakeholders reprint classics of yesteryear to expose the millenial generation to SingLit and fire up their interest further.

Legal eagle Adrian Tan’s The Teenage Textbook and The Teenage Workbook are insanely fun, Philip Jeyaretnam’s First Loves is delightful and Michael Chiang’s original graphic novel Army Daze is hilarious.

Some other notable titles come to mind — Alex Soh’s Double On The Rocks: The Savant Bartender Story; Jonathan Khoo’s Dirty Money; Russell Lee’s True Singapore Ghost Stories; and Catherine Lim’s Or Else, the Lightning God & Other Stories.

There is also the late writer and model Bonny Hicks’ Excuse Me, Are You a Model?

It would be even better if the writers could be brought together to offer their insights and exchange ideas with the public in a SingLit symposium.

In many ways, a nation’s identity is defined by its homegrown literature: Stories that form an important part of the nation’s heritage. So I commend the efforts of the BuySingLit campaign organisers.

We should do what we can to preserve and promote SingLit before outside influences with no vested interest in our country write over these narratives that are our own.