There is an emphatic beauty in writing epitomised by the melodic undressing of a poem or the felicity of a grand deliverance, and this year’s Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) is here to magnify the charm with its theme, ‘The Prospect of Beauty’. Taking place from 31 October to 9 November, the core of SWF 2014 will feature a riveting line-up of nearly 200 Singapore and international writers participating in over 250 events.
“The Festival stays true to its mission to inspire, excite and engage fans of the literary arts through thought-provoking topics and diverse programming. We hope this year’s offerings will bring readers back to basics – by reminding them to take pleasure in the lyrical beauty of words, a well-formed poem, or an immersive novel,” shared Festival Director, Paul Tan.
“In recent years, the Festival has also evolved into a platform for the lively exchange of ideas and opinions. This year, we want our audiences to think about timely and hard-hitting topics, such as morality in literature, the trade-offs between the environment and economic development, and society’s unrealistic ideals of female beauty.”
Highbrow excitement aside from the literary greats headlining (off the top of our head: Paul Theroux, Naomi Wolf, Raymond E. Feist, Robert Pinsky and Jonathan Lethem!) the wide spread of contemporary delights will take place over at Singapore Management University’s (SMU) Campus Green and the surrounding venues including The Arts House, the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Art Museum and The National Library. Our top tip to address the combined magnitude of venues and sessions? Get a Festival Pass to enjoy more than the public offerings, which includes 10 days worth of panel discussions, lectures, poetry readings, literary meals and more!
In addition, be sure to catch SWF 2014 Fringe’s exploration into the pursuit of truth, freedom and justice under the theme ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’, where erudite writers, journalists and activists relive their journeys of sacrifice and obsession; and then move on to The Arts House’s literary canon spotlighting South America, a continent steeped in turbulent history and colourful culture, which includes a panel discussion on Gabriel García Márquez, and a special screening of the film adaptation of ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’.
You can access the complete line-up of events over at their official website, and access the ticketing guide over here. Festival Passes go for $20, and ticketed events range from $15 to $100.
