Utama
By Ng Yi-Sheng
2025
First Published
3.90
Average Rating
360
Number of Pages
Finalist for the 2025 Epigram Books Fiction Prize A mythic historical novel by two-time Singapore Literature Prize winner. Utama reimagines the rise of Sang Nila Utama through the eyes of those who shaped his path—exiles, warriors and queens. From the Chola invasion to a fateful sea crossing, ambition and betrayal forge an empire. As dragons fall and a sea goddess awakens, the Lion City is born.
Avg Rating
3.90
Number of Ratings
20
5 STARS
25%
4 STARS
50%
3 STARS
15%
2 STARS
10%
1 STARS
0%
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Author
Ng Yi-Sheng
Author · 8 books
Ng Yi-Sheng is a poet, fictionist, playwright, journalist and activist. He was awarded the Singapore Literature Prize for his debut poetry collection, last boy (2006). His other publications include a spiritual sequel to that work, called A Book of Hims (2017); a compilation of his best spoken-word pieces, Loud Poems for a Very Obliging Audience (2016); the bestselling non-fiction book, SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century (2006); and a novelisation of the Singapore gangster movie, Eating Air (2008). He also co-edited GASPP: A Gay Anthology of Singapore Poetry and Prose (2010) and Eastern Heathens: An Anthology of Subverted Asian Folklore (2013). He recently completed his MA in creative writing at the University of East Anglia and is currently pursuing his PhD at Nanyang Technological University. Lion City is his first fiction collection, published in 2018 by Epigram Books.
