The development of Singaporean literature in English

Abstract

Singapore is a multi‐racial and multi‐lingual country with four official languages: English, (Mandarin) Chinese, Malay and Tamil. A feature of the post‐independence linguisitic situation in Singapore is the increasing use of the English language. One of the consequences of its increasing use is the greater number of literary works written in the language, especially in recent years. However, the use of English for cultural purposes, such as using it for the writing of literary works, has met with some controversy, especially in the earlier development of Singaporean literature in English. This article will attempt to trace the historical development of this literature, and the socio‐cultural and political problems that a literature in a non‐Asian language faces in a multilingual country like Singapore, where the other official languages and the edinicity of the overwhelming majority of the population, are of Asian origin. Some features of a literature in English which has developed in such a multilingual and multicultural environment, will also be discussed.

Notes

Singaporean literature in English here is understood as the literature in the language written by Singaporeans, or by people who are, during the time that they wrote their works, permanent residents of the British colony of Singapore or independent Singapore. It excludes the memoirs, autobiographies, novels and other literary genres written by visitors and expatriates during the Colonial period.