Dear Friends,
Fresh from the recent announcement of the Singapore Literature Prize 2008 (English category), poet Ng Yi-Sheng has graciously accepted our invitation to join us in February’s book discussion. The details:
Date/time: 4.00pm, Friday 27 February
Venure: The Activity Room, Bukit Batok Public Library
Author/Title: Mr Ng Yi-Sheng. “Last Boy”. Call no. SING S821 NG
Facilitator: Ms Clara Chua
About the author:
Ng Yi-Sheng (b.1980) is a poet, playwright, journalist and freelance writer. He has published four books, including a novelisation of the movie “Eating Air”, the best-selling non-fiction book, “SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century” and the poetry collection “last boy”, which won the 2008 Singapore Literature Prize.
His dramatic work ranges from musical comedies to experimental performances as part of the interdisciplinary arts group V.I.S.T.A Lab. Additionally, he models for art classes and practises capoeira. He blogs at <http://lastboy.blogspot.com>.
About the book:
“Ng Yi-sheng’s writing is always good for a romp through the enticing playground of language… but don’t forget to stand aside, catch your breath, and observe the soul-ground on which Last Boy plays.”
- Lee Tzu Pheng
“This whimsical collection evinces fascinating sleights of hand in its metaphoric associations. Ng distinguishes himself with a wide-ranging erudition and cultural acumen, invoking the arcana of every field from mythology to mathematics, literature to kinesiology, to make his subtle observations about the intricacies of urban culture and the nature of contemporary relationships. Wit and irony abound, as the poet displays his dexterity in word-play, whether this assumes the form of puns, alliteration, exploration of semantics and etymology, or
the sheer delight that comes from wildly original conjugations of imagery and conceits. In each, the leitmotifs take dazzling flight before landing on an epiphanic coda. Read and be bowled over.”
- Dr K K Seet
If you are interested in participating, please email Soon Huat at Soon_Huat_KWEH@nlb.gov.sg.
2 comments
soon_huat_KWEH@nlb.gov.sg says:
Feb 22, 2009
Although we are discussing the whole book, we are focussing on the following poems for detailed analysis:
Leda Revisited
Patrilines
kami/kaze: a correspondence
Desert People
Heartland
Living Will
Equidistance
Margaret says:
Mar 3, 2009
We had an interesting session, meeting Ng Yi-Sheng to discuss his book “Last Boy”. I found his poems eclectic and introspective – both reaching out to a whole world of literature and yet self-focussed. Yi-Sheng has an impressive knowledge of diverse cultures and literatures – and a formidable command of the English Language! I found some of his poems hard to understand – a view echoed by several of us, although these became clearer with Yi-Sheng’s explanations. Which raises the question – should art be so obscure that a piece of music, painting or poem needs explanation from its creator, or should its beauty speak for itself?
Yi-Sheng named Polish born poet Wislawa Szymborska as one of his favourites. I spent a while reading some of her poems on the internet.