When my first book, a small collection of short stories called ‘Little Ironies—Stories of Singapore’ came out more than 30 years ago, some family members and friends called excitedly to find out something: ‘Tell me, that character in the story titled ‘–’; was he/she based on -?’ There was a story about a young woman who had married an old man, clearly for his money. A friend who had been widowed for a year before she married a much-propertied man many years older, called me and said, ‘I’m sure that was me. Now that wasn’t very nice of you!’

In my second collection of short stories which came out two years later, there was a tale about a rather lazy teacher who was in the habit of sending her students to the library to ‘do research’ while she sat in the staff room and enjoyed her coffee. No fewer than three students called me to say, ‘We have a Mrs Maniam in our school!’ A fourth, from Malaysia exclaimed, ‘We have three Mrs Maniams in our school!’

So are my characters based on real people? Certainly, for though I have a vivid imagination, it still needs reality as the starting point. But often, instead of being based on specific persons I have met, my characters—ordinary men and women who go about their daily lives and cope with their share of life’s joys, reverses, travails—are a composite or blend of these real persons, or modified versions, or simply direct contrasts or parallels, created to fit in with each story.

But at base, all of them are recognizable human types because they display recognizable human qualities—of greed, hypocrisy, small-mindedness, cowardice, etc on the one hand, and magnanimity, generosity, kindness, courage, etc on the other.

Sometimes at parties I meet complete strangers who tell me about their experiences, some quite astonishing, then suddenly pause as they notice my attentiveness and ask anxiously, ‘Say, you aren’t storing up all that for your stories, are you?’ And I say mischievously, ‘Sorry, it’s already on pages 24–92 of my next novel!’

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About Vignettes...

A continuing flow of little, readable pieces that will constitute what I feel is an important 'legacy of values' to leave behind. Read more about Vignettes...