“The writer possesses a technically excellent prose style, so smooth that it slips down the reader’s throat like a well-made Singapore Sling.”
— THE HINDU
“Most of Baratham’s peers admire his boldness.”
— ROBERT YEO
“Baratham’s talent as a writer has been undisputed. So has his moral courage.”
— THE INDIAN EXPRESS
“One of your finest writers, Gopal Baratham, has written the best Singaporean novel I have read so far.”
— F. SIONIL JOSÉ
“… I feel he is Singapore’s most acclaimed writer.”
— DR EARL LU
“[A Candle or the Sun] ... picks up where George Orwell’s 1984 left off.”
— TIME
“… a genuine ability to tell a story.”
— COMMENTARY
“Singapore’s literary enfant terrible …”
— THE WESTERN AUSTRALIA
“Baratham’s controversial – has always been …”
— ASIA TIMES
“The absence of jargon and pretentiousness lends a special charm to the low-key stories that explore the emotions of the locals …”
— ASIAWEEK
“Each of the stories, in diverse themes and techniques, is so superbly written that one wishes one would never finish reading it. … I should think that we ought not regard and judge Gopal Baratham’s work within the confines of so-called Singapore literature. Nationality is such a limiting concept.”
— HAJIME KIJIME