Can audio dramas be the next big thing for S'pore literature?

Audio drama adaptations of Singapore literature are few and far between. Naturally, my ears perked up when I heard that writer Myle Yan Tay’s noir thriller novel catskull (2023) — which follows a masked teenage vigilante avenging social injustices — has been given the audio treatment.

- Shawn Hoo

Catskull is one of my favourite novels of 2023 — and the adaptation is a treat as much of it is narrated by Tay, who has also made a name for himself as a playwright. Adapted by Andas Productions, the pacy novel is drawn out with much suspense in its audio adaptation, which currently stands at three episodes.

The Singapore-based audio fiction studio has been producing some of the more exciting works in the genre and its founder Roshan Singh Sambhi has been roped in by DC to work on a podcast adaptation of classic Batman comics. It is known for Temujin, an audio drama about Genghis Khan and his best friend. The group has also released the queer solarpunk audio drama Sayang.