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Alfian Sa'at

アルフィアン・ビン・サアト

Alfian bin Sa'at

Pen Names: Alfian Sa'at（Commonly used literary name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1977-07-18 （Singapore）
Nationality
Singaporean
Languages
English, Malay
Religion
Islam
Residence History
Tampines, Singapore → Singapore (resident)

Career

Occupations
Playwright, Poet, Writer, Translator
Active Years
1994-
Affiliations
W!LD RICE (resident playwright), The Necessary Stage (collaboration), Teater Ekamatra (worked with Malay theatre group)
Influenced By
Haresh Sharma (mentor), Kuo Pao Kun (playwright), August Strindberg (influence — adapted A Dream Play)

Education

Tampines Primary School
Country: Singapore
Completed primary education
Raffles Institution
Country: Singapore
Served as chairman of the drama society while at RI
Raffles Junior College
Country: Singapore
Two years; received the Kripalani Award for Outstanding Contribution to Creative Arts
National University of Singapore
Faculty of Medicine / Medicine (studied)
Country: Singapore
Was a medical undergraduate but did not graduate

Awards

Kripalani Award for Outstanding Contribution to Creative Arts
1995
Organization: Raffles Junior College
Result: 受賞
Commendation Award by the Malay Language Council
1998
Work: Causeway
Organization: Malay Language Council
Result: 受賞
Singapore Literature Prize (Commendation Award)
1999
Work: Corridor
Organization: Singapore Literature Prize
Result: 受賞（Commendation）
Golden Point Award for Poetry
2001
Work: A History of Amnesia
Category: 詩
Organization: National Arts Council / Singapore Press Holdings (Golden Point)
Result: 受賞
Young Artist Award for Literature
2001
Category: 文学
Organization: National Arts Council
Result: 受賞
Life! Theatre Awards — Best Original Script
2005
Work: Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol. 2
Organization: Life! Theatre Awards
Result: 受賞
FRONT Award
2006
Organization: FRONT
Result: 受賞
Life! Theatre Awards — Best Original Script
2010
Work: Nadirah
Organization: Life! Theatre Awards
Result: 受賞
Life! Theatre Awards — Best Original Script
2014
Work: Kakak Kau Punya Laki (Your Sister's Husband)
Organization: Life! Theatre Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

One Fierce Hour

1998 Poetry

Early collection of poems addressing political and personal themes with a candid voice.

racecritique of nationhoodmemorypersonal identity

A History of Amnesia

2001 Poetry

A 2001 poetry collection exploring memory, forgetting, and identity; was shortlisted for a Kiriyama Asia-Pacific Book Prize.

memoryforgettingcultural identity

The Invisible Manuscript

2012 Poetry

A 2012 poetry collection noted for experimental language use and depictions of urban experience.

urban lifelinguistic experimentationyouth culture

Corridor

1999 Short stories

Collection of short stories; seven stories were adapted for television. Received a Singapore Literature Prize Commendation in 1999.

urban lifecultural tensionsyouth
Adaptations
  • [Television] Corridor (TV adaptation)

Malay Sketches

2012 Prose / Short stories

A short-story collection focused on Malay community experiences; has received international attention.

Malay culturesocial minoritieseveryday subtleties

Nadirah

2009 Play

A stage play dealing with religion, politics and personal belief. Selected by The Business Times as one of the finest plays in 50 years.

religionpoliticsfaith and the individual

Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol. 2

2004 Play

Part of the 'Asian Boys' series addressing social and gender themes; won the Life! Theatre Awards Best Original Script in 2005.

genderrelationshipssocial norms

Kakak Kau Punya Laki (Your Sister's Husband)

2013 Play

A Malay-language play about familial and cultural tensions; won the Life! Theatre Awards Best Original Script in 2014.

familycultural conflicthumor and pathos

Bibliography

  • One Fierce Hour (poetry, 1998)
  • Corridor (short stories, 1999)
  • A History of Amnesia (poetry, 2001)
  • Bisik: Anthology of Malay Singaporean Drama (2003)
  • Malay Sketches (short stories, 2012)
  • The Invisible Manuscript (poetry, 2012)

Adaptations

  • Seven short stories from Corridor adapted for television
  • Plays translated into German and Swedish and read/performed in London, Zurich, Stockholm, and other cities

Translations by Author

  • Translations of Malay-language novels by Malay Singaporean writers into English (multiple)

Translations of Works

  • German and Swedish translations of plays

Style & Themes

Literary Style
expressive portmanteau style (mixing non-Anglophone words and coinages)direct, provocative voiceblend of colloquial and poetic registers
Recurring Motifs
nation and belongingracial and ethnic tensionsreligion and personal faitheveryday urban Singapore

Legacy

A leading figure in contemporary Singapore theatre and literature. His plays have been translated and staged abroad and included in university syllabi. Active across poetry, short fiction and drama since youth, he has received numerous national awards.

In Popular Culture

  • Works included on university reading lists
  • Known through television adaptations of short stories and international stage performances

Quotes

  • “Singapore You Are Not My Country”
    Source: Poem (title)

Trivia

  • Of Minangkabau, Javanese and Hakka descent; identified as Malay Singaporean
  • Was a medical undergraduate at the National University of Singapore but did not graduate
  • Resident playwright at W!LD RICE
  • Several stories from Corridor were adapted for television
  • Plays have been translated into German and Swedish and staged/read in Europe
  • Nadirah was selected by The Business Times as one of the finest plays in 50 years