The development of Singaporean literature in English

Abstract

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 mult...