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An exciting first novel set in pre-independence Singapore. Scorpion Orchid follows the lives of four young men—a Malay, an Eurasian, a Chinese and a Tamil—against a backdrop of racial violence and political factions struggling for dominance. Excerpts from classical Malay and colonial English sources appear throughout the narrative, illuminating the roots and significance of this period in history.
“Scorpion Orchid, as a first novel, is a work of rampant youth, a lyrical adventure into the pre-independence Singapore of social quakes, student sieges and race riots…you get the sense, not of human characters, but of great mythic rhythms, you hear the entrancing footfall of the multicultural legend which haunts the heart of the author.”
—New Straits Times

“A brave book in which Lloyd Fernando has crafted an imaginary, historically well-informed exploration of the meaning of independence for Singapore.”
—Asian Cultural Quarterly

“Addresses the difficulties and prospects of harmonising disparate cultures in an emerging postcolonial nation.”
—Asiatic
Lloyd Fernando (1926–2008) was well known for this novel, which explores the issues of identity and cultures in a multi-ethnic society. Born in Sri Lanka in 1926, he emigrated to Singapore in 1938 with his family. Between 1967 to 1978, he was Head of English Department at the University of Malaya, after which he went on to study Law in London. He was admitted as Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1980. For his contribution to the University of Malaya, he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus in 2005.

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Scorpion Orchid