“Our stories are everywhere we look, and those stories matter; they are as varied and as manifold as we are. The pieces here are by student writers, full-time writers, hobbyists—some of the writers are based in Singapore, some are away from the city, and others call this city home, however momentarily. But all these stories speak to the very human truths of loss and desire in one way or another.” –Pooja Nansi, from the preface to Volume Four
Best New Singaporean Short Stories is a biennial anthology series from Epigram Books, established in 2013 to celebrate the best current published short fiction by Singaporean writers. Each volume gathers the finest Singaporean stories published over the previous two years, selected from hundreds published in journals, magazines, anthologies and single-author collections. Accompanying the stories are the editor’s preface and an extensive list of honourable mentions for further reading.
Praise for Best New Singaporean Short Stories
“If you’ve never read Singaporean literature, this would be a good place to start. If Crazy Rich Asians was the last thing you read by a local author, even better. The authors’ names might fly under the radar, but their voices are all too familiar—they’re the voices of our neighbours, our colleagues, and our loved ones. And occasionally, they sound a lot like our own.”
—Diane Lam, Wonderwall.sg, about Volume Four
“All in all, this is an important collection which showcases the gamut of writers and works available in Singaporean literature, and is a book worth recommending to both seasoned and and occasional readers.”
—Caterina Poh, Mackerel, about Volume Three
“This collection is a fascinating, engaging introduction to the Singapore story as it was in 2013-14. I very much look forward to volume 3.”
—Angus Whitehead, Asiatic, about Volume Two
“Showcases the best in contemporary Singaporean writing now, with a diverse multitude of local voices that tackle their subjects with tooth and claw, flair and finesse.”
—O Thiam Chin, fiction writer, in “My Book of the Year”, Singapore Unbound, about Volume One
“Singapore’s fiction revival is on track! Thirty-five years after Robert Yeo’s landmark curation of the best national stories of his time, the project re-begins with a fresh slate of short fiction that rightly welcomes several new names. Jason Erik Lundberg has done an outstanding job of choosing stories you will want to return to—like rooms in the head—for years to come!”
—Gwee Li Sui, author and illustrator of Myth of the Stone, about Volume One
Buy the Books
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Jason Erik Lundberg 