Singapore: A Very Short History

Singapore: A Very Short History — From Temasek to Tomorrow is a fresh,new, and highly-readable account of Singapore’s history. It is a sweepingstory of discovery, abandonment, rediscovery and development of what istoday one of the world’s greatest port-cities. Brief as this account may be,it incorporates all the latest research and findings about Singapore’s past,and weaves a concise yet coherent and comprehensive account of the islandover the last 700 years. Beyond familiar foundational myths and stories, thisnew account weaves Singapore’s story on a wide tapestry – through a castof princes, sultans, colonial administrators, occupiers community leadersand politicians – and tells the tale of how they struggled to answer that allimportantquestion: How do we make this island succeed? Two recurrent themes emerge from this gripping account. First, that Singapore was an unlikely or accidental nation-state; and second, that given its vulnerability to wider regional and international forces, it survived and flourished only because it was able to constantly change and adapt to make itself usefuland relevant to the world. And what of tomorrow? Will Singapore survive? This book is a hopeful response to these questions.

Alvin Tan studied History at the National University of Singapore andNanyang Technological University. An independent researcher andwriter, he maintains a deep and abiding interest in Singapore’s history,heritage and society. Alvin Tan is the author / editor of the bestsellingSingapore at Random – Magic, Myths & Milestones.

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