The Singapore Grip
 First edition | |
| Author | J. G. Farrell |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
British colonial fiction Postcolonial literature |
| Publisher | Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
Publication date | 1978 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 558 |
| ISBN | 0-297-77445-X |
| Preceded by | The Siege of Krishnapur |
The Singapore Grip is a novel by J. G. Farrell. It was published in 1978 a year before his death.
In 2015, The Straits Times' Akshita Nanda selected The Singapore Grip as one of 10 classic Singapore novels. She wrote, "Neatly weaving in snappy, comic summaries of Singapore history as well as the commercial and cultural forces that shaped the trajectory of World War II in South-east Asia and China, The Singapore Grip is also a powerful cure for post-colonial malaise with its details of the British elite's snobbery towards people of Chinese, Indian, Malay, Eurasian and American descent."[1]
Plot
The Singapore Grip is a satirical book about events following Japan's entry into the Second World War by invading South East Asia and swiftly occupying Singapore. The story centres on a British family who control one of the colony's leading trading companies. The title derives from a slang phrase describing a sexual technique sometimes used by prostitutes.
References
- ↑ Nanda, Akshita. "10 Singapore stories to ponder". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 28 January 2015.