2023 marks the 60th year since the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, comprising the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak – and Singapore. For Malaysians, 1963 is of profound national significance. For Singaporeans, the more memorable year might be 1965, the year of separation and subsequent independence. Yet for two fateful years, the destinies of the two countries were conjoined. The kinship, affinity – and tensions – are still keenly felt today.
This collection brings together writers from both countries to reflect creatively and critically upon this sense of entwinement – to celebrate, to reflect, and to rue, in the tradition of volumes such as The Second Tongue (ed. Edwin Thumboo, 1976).
Featured writers include: Anitha Devi Pillai, Anna Onni, Arjun Sai Krishnan, Benedict Lim, Brandon Liew, Clara Chow, Clarissa Oon, Daryl Li, Elaine Chiew, Heng Jia Min, Ho Kin Yunn, ila, Jocelyn Marcia Ng, Jonathan Chan, Joshua Ip, Kevin Martens Wong, Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Mohamed Shaker, Ng Yi-Sheng, Noor Iskandar, Paul Augustin, Rachel Fung, Sharmini Aphrodite, Sheena Gurbakhash, Sofia Mariah Ma, Sreedhevi Iyer, Sumitra Selvaraj, Tse Hao Guang, Yu Kai Tan, Zhang Ruihe