Reviews

A Luxury We Cannot Afford: An Anthology of Singapore Poetry by Jennifer Anne Champion, Samantha Toh, Eric Tinsay Valles, Alfonse Chiu, Tse Hao Guang, Jeremy Tiang, Evaleen Tan, Toh Hsien Min, Lynne Hong, Ho Ren Chun, Gilbert Koh, Jing-Jing Lee, Norashiqin Toh, Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé, Christine Chia, Jerrold Yam, Rodrigo V. Dela Peña Jr., Jason Erik Lundberg, Laremy Lee, Ian Chung, Leon Choo, Shawn Hoo, Jee Leong Koh, Theophilus Kwek, Charlene Shepherdson, Jon Gresham, Chelsea Sim, Keith Tong, Leong Liew Geok, Krishna Udayasankar, Teh Su Ching, Hazwan Norly, Lauren Harper, Grace Chia, Ann Ang, Alvin Pang, Edwin Thumboo, Pooja Nansi, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Sze Yao Tan, Samuel Lee, Paul Grayson, Low Kian Seh, Joshua Ip, Sandesh Sambhi, Ng Yi-Sheng, Loh Guan Liang, Marc Nair, Felix Cheong, Alfian Sa'at, Amanda Lee Koe

rebeccazh's review

I sped through this. This is an electrifying collection and very thought-provoking. It reads like a very intense examination of poetry as a "luxury we cannot afford" and a thorough questioning of Singapore's narrative of pragmatism. A whole gallery of poets and voices rotate before the reader to give their thoughts and feelings of poetry, pragmatism and the Man. Some are sympathetic to him, some are critical, some are contemplative, some are callous. It has made me reflect on the ways Singaporeans view him, from the overwhelmingly positive public to the very negative singlit minority.

mxae's review

informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

Interesting insight into Singapore and it's history and The Man, through poetry. Some really nice poems.

jjlim1996's review

4.0

Perspectives are essential in life, and I had the opportunity to read this after The Man has passed on. This gave me a wonderful chance to read the anthology in retrospect, rather than the original intention, being published in 2014. There is a whole plethora of ideas, some placed in uncanny juxtapositions, others in intriguing methods, yet perhaps these unplanned contradictions hint at a complicated portrait of The Man. I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology, of which I can quote the ending lines of the final poem, which offers us another avenue to consider our founding father in.

"For who among us have seen him? / Who among us treading water beneath his tower have seen / anything at all?"

joshuaip's review

informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

judithhuang's review

5.0

One of the most coherent anthologies out there! Probably all thanks to one man...