Odeon: An Ode
Directly across from the Raffles Hotel Arcade was once a movie theatre that, for an evening at a time, whisked an entire generation away from the grimy streets of 1960s Singapore. In these cinematic pages, we delve into the many lives of 331 North Bridge Road: as rubber factory, postwar cabaret, trade union headquarters and more, tracing the stories of two individuals as they thread through this unlikely window between worlds. Will the old building give up its secrets? Part memoir, part historical reimagination, Odeon examines what it takes to build a life—or a nation—at the crossroads of fate.
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Odeon: An Ode
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Reviews
"In this moving ode to time, place, comradeship and sacrifice, Theophilus Kwek honours the gifts and generosity of one man, his brother Rubel, and in so doing, shows us that this city of migrants, so restless for change and progress, has yet to learn the true value of human dignity." —Ng Kok Hoe , Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; President, HOME
"A few worlds unravel in this ode. Kwek’s narrative melds past, present and future, displaying shifting infrastructure against the familiarity of street names. He emplaces Odeon, Bras Basah Complex, the Istana and a worker’s dormitory into history and culture, making a stab at the amorphousness of change. Yet Kwek also unfurls two human figures, Bangladeshi migrant worker Rubel and former Singapore President Devan Nair. One is at the ‘bottom’ of the work ladder; the other rose to the top. Both faced immense life changes, and both have died. Kwek bre athes life into them, resurrecting their values and purpose. Rubel, ailing from cancer, built a thriving literary culture despite a lack of accommodation; Devan Nair remained an exceptional union leader committed to workers. Kwek insinuates they are the bricklayers who built a constancy of care, love, hope and camaraderie. He cleverly juxtaposes a physical building, the 23-storeyed Odeon with these two human forms whose spirits rise higher than the newly restored infrastructure. Odeon is a metamorphosis, inviting us to look beyond vacuousness to find what anchors." —Braema Mathi, Writer, editor, human rights activist and founder-President of TWC2
"Theophilus Kwek’s Odeon: An Odeis a quietly powerful and excellent read that elegantly weaves together history, memory and humanity through an address in downtown Singapore. This poignant work of creative nonfiction captures life’s treasured and tortured moments, creating a tale of two individuals whose vastly different journeys reveal how place, chance and circumstance can both unite and divide lives. At the heart of this book is a beautiful and deeply moving tribute to a friend, a brother and a brave, generous soul who taught us that while lives may be finite, kindness, love and the connections we forge continue to ripple through the world." —Charmaine Leung, Author of 17A Keong Saik Road
"Written with a poet’s eye, a historian’s instinct for excavation and a brother’s heart, Odeon by Theophilus Kwek tells the story of those whose fates are entwined with 331 North Bridge Road, a narrative anchored by the life of Fazley Elahi Rubel. Clear-eyed about the precarity of being a migrant worker in an economy that values utility and margins above all else, the book tenderly traces Rubel’s hopes and heartbreaks, his friendships and community, and above all, his vision for change, which continues beyond his time here. In Singapore, where a square metre might shape shift from year to year, a building can be, in turn, a monument of pride, a site of entertainment or political activity, or a much-needed refuge. But Odeon compellingly reminds us that a building and, by extension, a country is defined not just by function, but by the oft-invisible hands that labour it into existence. Whether you’re already familiar with Rubel’s life, or freshly encountering the stories behind one of Singapore’s most iconic old theaters, Odeon is a powerful, stirring read." —Jemimah Wei, Author of The Original Daughter
Creative Non-Fiction
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Odeon: An Ode
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Attunement
Is life hustling you out of tune? As the week roars by, we invite you to a slice of attunement penned lovingly by our authors, friends, and yours truly. Freshly delivered weekly with care. Intimacy guaranteed. Read selected letters below.
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