Catskull Author Myle Yan Tay Talks His Journey As A Singaporean Writer
Overseas book deals, international awards, even film rights – if these are the markers of success in the literary world, then the local writing scene has hit a new peak, led by a younger generation of authors penning their own diverse takes on the Singapore story. Pandemic‑revived bibliophile Cherry Tan gets four of the most exciting new names on the scene to share a peek into their inner lives and thoughts about this new chapter in SingLit.
For those of us who’ve grown up in relative comfort, reading Tay’s singular debut novel Catskull – published in 2023 – is quite the eye‑opening experience. Ram, the character at the heart of this work, nurses an increasingly mercurial rage at the people and world around him. When he decides to act on it by threatening his best friend’s abusive father, things don’t go as planned – and he turns to a life of vigilantism. Singapore thus transforms into a sweltering, sweaty replica of Gotham City.
You see, Tay, 30, is a writer whose work spans plays, prose, essays and comic books, but at its core, his storytelling is always concerned with the systems that shape us, and Catskull is no exception. Though fictional, it carries an emotional clarity and social sharpness that feel deeply lived‑in, informed by his experience growing up in Singapore as a half‑Ceylonese, half‑Chinese man who has navigated an all‑boys school, national service and the quiet pressures of conformity – all while asking urgent questions about identity, anger and who gets to decide what justice looks like.
These messages have found resonance in many quarters. The book bagged both the Best Literary Work and Book of the Year at the Singapore Book Awards last year. Fans will also be glad to know that Tay has more works in the pipeline, and if Catskull is any indication, they’ll continue to cut deep.
Award‑winning playwright and author Myle Yan Tay.
WHAT KIND OF READER WERE YOU WRITING CATSKULL FOR?
“I think Catskull is for any person who has this nagging feeling that something is very wrong with how we organise ourselves as a society. They can be of any age, they can like any genre, and they need not even be from Singapore. On top of that, I wanted the book to be something that could hook people. For so many Singaporeans, their encounters with literature in school are books they don’t want to read. So they may never get that incredible feeling of desperately wanting to know what happens on the next page. I wanted to share that same sense of exhilaration I get from reading, in a context we all understand.”
For him, many things help to shape his writing. “For me, writing comprises many things that are not writing: taking a walk, going to exercise, visiting a museum – all of these things influence my writing and are key to my process,” he says.
HOW DOES YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SINGAPORE INFORM YOUR CHARACTERS?
“One of Singapore’s defining characteristics for me is our stability. That makes us an inviting port for businesses to invest in, but that stability has many, many costs. It demands silence, especially from people who might rock the boat. All of my characters have to choose whether they want to risk being the nail that sticks out, or if they’d rather live a life of docile stability.”
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF SINGAPORE’S CURRENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR EMERGING WRITERS?
“I don’t think there’s nearly enough support for young writers in Singapore. Our ecosystem, in terms of finances, is extremely underdeveloped and most of us can only afford to write as a hobby. I frequently have to remind people that there are only a tiny handful of writers in Singapore who actually make their living exclusively from writing. I recognise that it’s a pipe dream to hope for enough opportunities to support every young writer’s passion, but it would be nice to have at least some. Grants are frequently contingent on multiple deliverables that are only tangentially related to the project, or they’re on a reimbursement basis only. What we sorely need are grants, fellowships or residencies that allow writers to pursue writing full‑time for a period and with financial support so that they can experiment, play and explore, without having to worry about going hungry or meeting a KPI (key performance indicator) that doesn’t relate to their practices.”
As a half‑Ceylonese, half‑Chinese Singaporean who attended an all‑boys school, he tends to lean into the themes of identity, anger and definitions of justice in his works.
NOW THAT YOUR DEBUT NOVEL IS OUT IN THE WORLD AND MORE BOOKS ARE ON THE WAY, HAS YOUR IDEA OF WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE AS A WRITER CHANGED AT ALL?
“I try not to think of lofty goals. I try to focus on what I’m doing right now and what I can do to make that project the best it can be. So maybe at some point, I’ll look back and say, okay, that’s success. But looking forward, I’m sticking to the thing right in front of me.”
“One of Singapore’s defining characteristics for me is our stability. That makes us an inviting port for businesses to invest in, but that stability has many, many costs. It demands silence, especially from people who might rock the boat,” he says.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER YOUNG WRITERS?
“The thing I try to hold on to is that my first reader is always myself. So much of writing is self‑motivated and solitary, so if I don’t like the thing I’m writing, how am I supposed to return to it? That’s the main thing I’d suggest to young writers: Write what you want to read.”
“All of my characters have to choose whether they want to risk being the nail that sticks out, or if they’d rather live a life of docile stability.”
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS.
“I’m working on my second novel now, which is about the Singapore military. It’s continuing some of the themes of masculinity and fairness that are found in Catskull, but it’s a very, very different type of book. It’s more meditative and less violent, but I’m hoping it’ll be emotionally potent in its own way. I’m also working on two other plays, but I can’t say more about those right now. All I can say is that they’re very different from what I’ve done before.”