Chasing Curtained Suns

by Jerrold Yam

Diving into the ambivalences and contradictions that are as characteristic of a family as her triumphs, Jerrold Yam's rousing debut poetry collection is a reaction to the precarious tilt from adolescence to adulthood.

The poems — which invoke subjects as diverse as childbirth, celebrity culture and National Service — extend beyond a struggle for acceptance amid the transience of modern Singapore and into the universal territory of teenagehood. Growing up suggests an inexorable shift to adult sensibilities, but this transition is fraught with countervailing tensions of moving on, letting go and leaving behind. Yet, the collection ends with an optimism that is both agonising and courageous in its desperation for hope.

Alternately lyrical and experimental, confessional and incisive, Yam flexes his poetic versatility by combining ruthless introspection with hard-won catharsis. The ensuing redefinition of boundaries, between what must be left unsaid and what seeks reiteration, holds testimony to a voice that is unafraid of frankness — a voice ready to spearhead the next generation of Singaporean literature.

"Jerrold Yam’s poems sparkle, yet underneath all that lustre is a fledgling spirit eager to build bridges out of uncertainty, loneliness and self-doubt, before arriving at a still point of equipoise and wonder."
– Cyril Wong

Genres: Poetry, Gay

98 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Jerrold Yam is the author of three poetry collections: Intruder (Ethos Books, 2014), Scattered Vertebrae (Math Paper Press, 2013) and Chasing Curtained Suns (Math Paper Press, 2012).

Reviews

[Hao Guang Tse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yam's debut takes the reader into the psyche of a young man trying to escape - prodigal - and finally finding a sense of inheritance. The theme of family is at once its linchpin and, upon further reflection, undoing - for even as the unsettled nature of his confessionals and images make at times powerful statements, it feels as if the elevation of the everyday does not always reach transcendence.

For Yam it is the intense focus on the moment, the impression, that forms the seed of most of these poems. I'm eagerly anticipating a sophomore effort that manages to look at the wider world through these same lenses.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an academic (MA) who is passionate about Singaporean poetry and lingua franca, I found this collection illuminating. The poems about National Service, childhood and adolescence in Singapore, and musings about relationships were of particular interest. It was sometimes strange to find turns of phrase that appeared "British", though because of the shared (fraught) history between both countries, an overlap is to be expected. I would recommend this as an introduction to Singaporean poetry.

[Jericho Eames · Rating 3 out of 5]

It just didn't cut it for me. I didn't really 'connect' with his works but there were a couple of good ones upon closer inspection.

[bobanbang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn’t bring myself to finish this tbh

[JB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I attended an event by the author and read this book - could relate to a lot of this growing up in Singapore.

[Yong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is enjoyable, leh! Loved the treatment of sg topics, refs.

[Potato Affairs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decent 8.5/10

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yam, though a bit inconsistent at times, weaves themes into his sequence(s) of poems, which undulate in crests and troughs that demonstrate his talent as a young writer. His ability to unravel impressions, textures, sensations like kilims is what stands out the most in this collection. His treatment of life in Singapore is fresh and unafraid, exploring family and adulthood, but also touches on various other topics without going too far off course.

[Review 1 - 05/05/17.]

[Mirvan. Ereon]

Will be getting this soon!

[mantareads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nah.