Alfian bin Sa'at (born 18 July 1977), best known as Alfian Sa'at, is a prolific
Singaporean
Singaporeans, or the Singaporean people, refers to citizens or people who identify with the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-lingual country. Singaporeans of Chinese, Malay, India ...
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
,
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
, and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
.
He is known for penning a body of plays, poems, and prose that often tackle issues considered taboo in the
island-state, such as
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
,
sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
, and
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
.
Alfian has received a number of national literature awards, such as the 2001 Young Artist Award and three ''Life!'' Theatre Awards for Best Original Script.
Alfian is the resident playwright of theatre group
W!LD RICE
W!LD RICE, founded in 2000 by Ivan Heng, is a professional theatre company in Singapore. In 2019, the company established a permanent performance venue at Funan Mall.
History
The first show by W!LD RICE was held at Jubilee Hall in Raffles Hotel ...
.
Biography
Early life
Alfian bin Sa'at is a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
Singaporean of
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
nese and Chinese
Hakka
The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
descent.
An alumnus of
Tampines Primary School
This is a list of primary schools in Singapore. Children typically start their primary education in the year they turn seven. Primary education lasts six years, and is compulsory for all Singapore citizens.
Primary schools in Singapore are clas ...
,
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...
, and
Raffles Junior College
The Raffles Junior College (RJC) was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1982, following a separation from the pre-university section of Raffles Institution (RI). Raffles Junior College ...
, Alfian was the chairman of the drama societies, both known as Raffles Players, in both RI and RJC. He also took part in the Creative Arts Programme twice – once at fifteen, and a second time at seventeen – both times under the mentorship of
Haresh Sharma
Haresh Sharma (born 1965) is a Singaporean playwright. To date, he has written more than 100 plays that have been staged all over the world, including Singapore, Melbourne, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cairo and London. Sharma has a BA from the Nation ...
. He has since returned to the programme as an occasional mentor.
During his two years at RJC, Alfian received the Kripalani Award for Outstanding Contribution to Creative Arts.
Alfian attended medical classes at the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
but did not graduate.
Career
In 1998, Alfian published his first collection of poetry, ''One Fierce Hour'' at the age of twenty-one. The book was acclaimed as "truly a landmark for poetry
n Singapore
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
by ''
The Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was established ...
'', and Alfian himself was described by Malaysia's ''New Straits Times'' as "one of the most acclaimed poets in his country... a prankish provocateur,
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
hipster".
A year later, Alfian published his first collection of short stories, ''Corridor'', which won the
Singapore Literature Prize The Singapore Literature Prize (abbreviation: SLP) is a biennial award in Singapore to recognise outstanding published works by Singaporean authors in any of the four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The competition is organis ...
Commendation Award. Seven of the short stories from the collection have since been adapted for television. In 2001, he published his second collection of poetry, ''A History of Amnesia'', which was hailed by ''The Straits Times'' as "one of the most powerful collections by a Singaporean" in addition to being shortlisted for a Kiriyama Asia-Pacific Book Prize. Alfian won both the inaugural National Arts Council-Singapore Press Holdings Golden Point Award for Poetry in the same year, as well as the National Arts Council's Young Artist Award for Literature.
Alfian's plays, written in both English and
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
, have received broad attention in both Singapore and Malaysia. They have also been translated into German and Swedish, and have been read and performed in London, Zurich, Stockholm, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. His first play was produced when he was 19, and he has had a long association as a playwright with theatre group
The Necessary Stage
The Necessary Stage (previously known as M1 Theatre Connect and M1 Youth Connection) is a Singaporean non-profit theatre company with charity status. Formed in 1987 by Alvin Tan, The Necessary Stage was established with its own mission to creat ...
as well as with Teater Ekamatra, a Malay theatre group known for articulating minority concerns in Chinese-majority Singapore.
Alfian is currently the resident playwright of theatre group
W!LD RICE
W!LD RICE, founded in 2000 by Ivan Heng, is a professional theatre company in Singapore. In 2019, the company established a permanent performance venue at Funan Mall.
History
The first show by W!LD RICE was held at Jubilee Hall in Raffles Hotel ...
.
In 2015, ''Nadirah'' was selected by ''
The Business Times'' as one of the "finest plays in 50 years" alongside productions by
Goh Poh Seng
Goh Poh Seng (; July 1936 – 10 January 2010) was a Singaporean dramatist, novelist, doctor and poet, was born in Kuala Lumpur, British Malaya in 1936. He was educated at Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur, received his medical degree from Uni ...
,
Michael Chiang
Michael Chiang (born 27 October 1955 in Muar, Malaysia) is a prolific playwright and screenwriter in Singapore. He is known as "Singapore's most famous and successful playwright".
From 1990 to 2009, Chiang was the editorial director of Mediacorp ...
and
Haresh Sharma
Haresh Sharma (born 1965) is a Singaporean playwright. To date, he has written more than 100 plays that have been staged all over the world, including Singapore, Melbourne, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cairo and London. Sharma has a BA from the Nation ...
and others.
In 2016, it was reported that ''sex.violence.blood.gore'', a play he co-wrote, and his short story collection ''Malay Sketches'' is on the reading list of the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...
,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, while the
University of York
, mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £8.0 million
, budget = £403.6 million
, chancellor = Heather Melville
, vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery
, students ...
has his poem "Singapore You Are Not My Country" and
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
his selected poems on their reading lists. In particular, the University of York's Dr Claire Chambers noted that this was because Alfian "introduces non-Anglophone words and concepts, and puts together words in an expressive portmanteau style".
Works
Plays
;English
* ''Fighting'' (1994)
* ''Black Boards, White Walls'' (1997)
* ''Yesterday My Classmate Died'' (1997)
* ''sex.violence.blood.gore'' (co-written with Chong Tze Chien) (1999)
* ''Asian Boys Vol. 1'' (loosely adapted from
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...
's ''
A Dream Play
''A Dream Play'' ( sv, Ett drömspel) is a fantasy play in 14 scenes written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was published in Swedish in 1902 and first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg ...
'') (2000)
* ''What's The Difference?'' (2001)
* ''Don't Say I Say'' (2001)
* ''poppy dot dream'' (2001)
* ''The Corrected Poems of Minah Jambu'' (2001)
* ''The Optic Trilogy'' (2001)
* ''7 Ten: Seven Original 10-minute Plays: Not In'' (2003)
* ''Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol. 2 '' (2004)
* ''Tekka Voices'' (2004)
* ''Mengapa Isa?'' (2004)
* ''The Importance of Being Kaypoh'' (2005)
* ''Harmony Daze'' (2005)
* ''Confessions of 300 Unmarried Men: Blush'' (2006)
* ''Homesick'' (2006)
* ''Happy Endings: Asian Boys Vol 3'' (2007)
* ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (2008)
* ''Beauty And The Beast'' (2009)
* ''Cooling Off Day'' (2011)
* ''Cook a Pot of Curry'' (2013)
* ''Monkey Goes West'' (2014)
* ''Hotel'' (2015)
* ''Tiger of Malaya'' (2018)
;Malay
* ''Deklamasi Malas (Declamation of Indolence)'' (1997)
* ''Dongeng (Myth)'' (1997)
* ''Anak Bulan di Kampung Wa' Hassan (The New Moon at Kampung Wa' Hassan)'' (1998)
* ''Madu II (Polygamy)'' (1998)
* ''Causeway'' (1998)
* ''Peti Kayu Ibuku (My Mother's Wooden Chest)'' (translated into Malay from
Kuo Pao Kun's translation of Ng Xin Yue's original Mandarin text) (1999)
* ''The Miseducation of Minah Bukit'' (2001)
* ''Tapak 7 (Seven Steps)'' (2001)
* ''Selamat Malam Ibu'' (adapted from ''Night Mother'' by
Marsha Norman) (2003)
* ''Keturunan Laksmana Tak Ada Anu'' (adapted from ''Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral'' by Kuo Pao Kun) (2003)
* ''Minah & Monyet (Minah & Monkey)'' (2003)
* ''Nadirah'' (2009)
* ''Pariah'' (alternatively staged as ''Parah'') (2011)
* ''Kakak Kau Punya Laki (Your Sister's Husband)'' (2013)
* ''GRC (Geng Rebut Cabinet)'' (2015)
;Mandarin
* ''Fugitives'' (失控) (co-written with Ng How Wee) (2002)
Prose
;English
* ''
Corridor
Corridor or The Corridor may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''The Corridor'' (1968 film), a 1968 Swedish drama film
* ''The Corridor'' (1995 film), a 1995 Lithuanian drama film
* ''The Corridor'' (2010 film), a 2010 Canadia ...
'' (SNP, 1999;
Ethos Books
Established in 1997, Ethos Books is an independent book publisher based in Singapore. It is an imprint of Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd, a communications and design house. Ethos Books specialises in publishing literary works of fiction, non-fict ...
, 2015)
* ''Malay Sketches'' (
Ethos Books
Established in 1997, Ethos Books is an independent book publisher based in Singapore. It is an imprint of Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd, a communications and design house. Ethos Books specialises in publishing literary works of fiction, non-fict ...
, 2012)
;Malay
* ''Bisik: Antologi Drama Melayu Singapura (Whisper: Anthology of Malay Singaporean Drama)'' (Pustaka Cipta, 2003)
Poetry
* ''One Fierce Hour'' (Landmark Books, 1998)
* ''A History of Amnesia'' (
Ethos Books
Established in 1997, Ethos Books is an independent book publisher based in Singapore. It is an imprint of Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd, a communications and design house. Ethos Books specialises in publishing literary works of fiction, non-fict ...
, 2001)
* ''The Invisible Manuscript'' (Math Paper Press, 2012)
Awards
* 1995 – Kripalani Award for Outstanding Contribution to Creative Arts
* 1998 – Commendation Award by the Malay Language Council for ''Causeway''
* 1999 –
Singapore Literature Prize The Singapore Literature Prize (abbreviation: SLP) is a biennial award in Singapore to recognise outstanding published works by Singaporean authors in any of the four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The competition is organis ...
Commendation Award for ''Corridor''
* 2001 – Golden Point Award for Poetry
* 2001 – Young Artist Award for Literature
* 2005 – Life! Theatre Awards for Best Original Script for ''Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol. 2''
* 2006 – FRONT Award
* 2010 – Life! Theatre Awards for Best Original Script for ''Nadirah''
* 2014 - Life! Theatre Awards for Best Original Script for ''Kakak Kau Punya Laki (Your Sister's Husband)''
References
External links
Naif's journal – The blog of Alfian Sa'at
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alfian Bin Saat
1977 births
Living people
Singaporean people of Javanese descent
Singaporean people of Malay descent
Singaporean people of Minangkabau descent
National University of Singapore alumni
Raffles Junior College alumni
Raffles Institution alumni
Singaporean dramatists and playwrights
Singaporean Muslims
Singaporean poets
Singapore Literature Prize winners
Male dramatists and playwrights
Male poets