One Fierce Hour
by Alfian Sa’at
One Fierce Hour is Alfian Sa’at’s first and breakout work. It was hailed as ‘truly a landmark’ for Singaporean poetry when it was published in 1998 when the poet was just 21 years old. Since, then it has been kept in print and has entered the list of canonical anthologies of Singapore literature. The collection contains the anti-anthem “Singapore You Are Not My Country” written well before social media gave voice to dissent and different views of Singapore.
Alfian remains an intelligent writer with an unabashedly social and political voice. He has written 37 plays, 3 works of prose and 2 poetry anthologies.
Size: 130 x 195 mm
Extent: 48 pages
Binding: Paperback
Weight: 105 g
ISBN: 978-981-4189-55-2
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Reviews
This is one of the most exciting collections of poetry by a Singaporean in recent years …. He is what I call a ‘natural’ poet – one to whom image-making comes by instinct, without strain or struggle; or at least that is how his art looks.
– Lee Tzu Pheng
Alfian writes brutally honest poetry that is not so much grievances from an angry young man, but wry observations of a ‘surprising Singapore’ … laced with sarcasm, poignancy, and yes, a lot of love. \
– BigO Magazine
One of the most acclaimed poets in his country… a prankish provocateur, libertarian hipster.”
– New Straits Times
From Goodreads
Rereading this collection made me realize two things. 1: this is the poetic equivalent of 12 Storeys, with a dose of Ginsberg thrown in. 2: Sa'at at 21 writes atomically, soaring over many 20somethings of this generation.
– Tse Hao Guang, author