Giving Singapore's writers our fullest support

Ms Claire Chiang, Chairperson of the National Book Development Council 

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good evening.

1. I am very happy to join you here tonight at the presentation of the Singapore Literature Prize. 
   

2. It has been more than 20 years since the Literature Prize started in 1992 and I think this is by far, the biggest we have ever had for the Literature Prize – both in terms of the number of entries and also the scale of this event. So it marks a very good milestone, and I'm happy that we have the National Arts Council and National Library Board both behind the National Book Development Council to do this Prize in a bigger way this year. As an avid reader and lover of literature myself, I'm glad to see this event grow over the years. 
   

3. I would like to start by congratulating all those who have shortlisted for the Literature Prize this year. I understand you do not know who the winners are yet, but all of you have done yourselves proud to be shortlisted, so congratulations and well done! I also want to acknowledge our panel of 36 judges who had the difficult job of deciding on the winners. We received over 180 entries this year, which is about double the number over the past 10 years. I am sure this has made the judging a much more challenging task! So thank you judges for helping out with this very difficult task. We are very happy to this increase in the number of entries and the quality of entries has also gone up. It speaks of the growing interest in local literature in Singapore and this bodes well for our future. 
   

4. None of this would be possible without the energy and dedication of our literary community, and champions of Singapore literature in particular, the National Book Development Council. So I extend my fullest appreciation to all of the people in the Council, particularly to the Chairman, the energetic and beautiful Claire Chiang.

5. Through literature, we learn to appreciate our past, our shared experiences and our values. Through literature, we leave a mark on history that says, “This is who we are; this is what we have gone through; this is what we stand for in the world.”  

6. Next year, as all of you are aware, we celebrate Singapore's 50th year of independence. We are still a young nation. Compared to many other countries, we have not had as much time to build up a repository of national literature. But we have made tremendous progress, and we have certain key advantages that help us along and put us in good stead. 

7. One advantage is that we are a multiracial and multicultural society. We have many windows into other cultures and voices. They give us insight into different myths, stories and philosophies that have been passed down from generation to generation. 
   

8. We celebrate this diversity in our approach to national literature. The National Arts Council (NAC) provides publishing grants across the four official languages, and has been actively seeking feedback from writers and educators on how to encourage the Chinese, Malay and Tamil literary scenes to flourish. So I am heartened that as a foremost national award for published literary works, the Singapore Literature Prize continues to honour our best writers in different languages. This represents the diversity that we cherish, and that is integral to Singapore.
   

9. A second advantage is our position as a nation with access to different audiences in a globalised world. The NAC is working hard to promote Singapore writers and books on the international stage, for example, in literary festivals and book fairs around the world.  We have presented Singapore titles at the world's largest publishing industry fairs in London and Frankfurt. I understand there is significant interest from international agents and publishers in our works. The recent Singapore Literature Festival in New York, an effort driven by our writing community, was also warmly received by audiences.
   

10. As it is, our writers are already being picked up by international publishers like Vintage, William Morrow, Hachette India and more. They are also being nominated for international awards like the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. These are endorsements of the quality of our work and I believe they are only the beginning of what Singapore literature will contribute to the world.
    

11. Our third and our most important advantage is our people. We have a very talented community of local writers who deserve our recognition and support.
    

12. Some are starting at a very young age. For example, Chew Chia Shao Wei, an undergraduate at Harvard University, has written the illustrated children's book “The Rock and the Bird”.  It has been described by a critic as “an astonishing and stunning story, a timeless fable which would appeal to readers of all ages… enthralling from start to finish!”  In fact, Shao Wei wrote this story at the age of 14 in secondary school, and later won the 2009 Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition. I commented recently to some of our colleagues at NAC, that if you track the Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition, actually many Singaporeans win first prize – and this is across the whole of the Commonwealth. So, we do have many talented writers, we ought to nurture and groom them and I believe if we do, many of  them can continue to write and do well in the literary scene. 
    

13. So there is strong literary talent and we are committed to giving them our full support. Compared to five years ago, NAC Is now giving out three times as many publishing grants today. Every year, we support about 100 titles across our four official languages. There are new spaces like Centre 42, which opened just this year, where writers can gather and develop their craft in the company of their peers.  Altogether, there is greater vibrancy in our literary scene today, and I believe there is potential to do even better. 
    

14. One tangible sign of this is the fact that we are seeing quality local composition in a wider range of genres, ranging from non-fiction, to science fiction and even graphic novels. We should find new ways to recognise more of these authors and give them our support.  I am glad to hear that starting from this year, the Singapore Literature Prize has grown from 4 to 12 individual categories, with dedicated prizes for fiction and poetry. This is a good start to recognise the broader range of genres. For the first time, awards will also be given to non-fiction books. This will enable us to recognise more Singapore writers, across more genres. 

15. Equally important is readership, and the effort we put into instilling a love of reading and literature in the hearts of Singaporeans. Literature is for everyone. Through words, we encounter different points of view. We build clarity of thought. We gain confidence, creativity and a sense of community. 

16. All the more so when we read literature that resonates with our identity and shared experiences; literature in which we recognise our Singapore landscapes, our day-to-day living, and the memories and characters we have of Singapore.
    

17. So we must engage our Singapore audiences on the excellent local literature that is available today. I am glad to hear that the National Book Development Council is working with bookstores around Singapore to promote and display books by the writers shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize. The Council has also been working with partners like The Arts House. Together, they have organised free sessions for the public to meet and participate in discussions with the shortlisted writers on their works; and this is done across the official languages. 
    

18. The ongoing Singapore Writer's Festival has also gotten off to a very good start with many exciting panel discussions. It is on-going, and if you have time this week, do check out the sessions. Next year's Singapore Writers Festival will have a stronger focus on Singapore writing and literature. Every year we already have a strong focus, but next year as it is the Golden Jubilee, we will have an even stronger focus on Singapore writing and literature. The Festival also returns to The Arts House next year – it will add to the vibrancy of the Empress Place district, and it will be a a meaningful addition to our Golden Jubilee Celebration.  
    

19. While the Literature Prize and SWF have succeeded in shining a spotlight on reading and on Singapore's authors, we cannot depend on these platforms alone. So we need to do more. It takes all of us working together, a whole community, to support Singapore literature. And I hope we can continue to work with publishers and literary associations all year round. I also hope the industry can come up with new strategies to be more effective in marketing and outreach, especially to the young where reading habits are different now. There is now technology, and a lot more time spent on the internet. The reading habits of the young now would be quite different and we need to adapt to these realities. So as we celebrate our Golden Jubilee and we look forward to not only 2015 but also the next 50 years and beyond, I hope our writers will be among us every step of the way – as our scribes, our poets, our thinkers and dreamers. 
    

20. Finally, let me once again congratulate all the authors that have shortlisted for the Prize. Regardless of whether you receive an award tonight, we celebrate your accomplishments to the fullest. May you continue to write, read, and create fascinating new worlds through your imagination, and inspire many generations of Singaporeans to come.  

    Thank you.