{"product_id":"three-durians","title":"Three Durians","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eRead Eileen Chong's \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/cordite.org.au\/introductions\/chong-wong\/\"\u003eintroduction to \u003cem\u003eThree Durians\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN: 9781764449120\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThis book ships on 20 August 2026.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0812\/6659\/files\/Troy_Wong.jpg?v=1785743539\" width=\"100%\" alt=\"Troy Wong\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo some, the smell of durian is a rich, creamy custard; to others, it’s the pestilential pong of weeks-old mango, fermented in a gym sock. Due to their divisive odour, durians are banned from public transit across Singapore. They are also the city-state’s unofficial national fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA durian can be a durian, or a flex, or a grenade. It can be a metaphor for poetry – from spoken word poetics, loose, colourful, and pungent, to printed verse, severe and geological as the fossil record: poems whose perfect words and line breaks crack me into sudden laughter, devastated by the poet’s craft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow many durians does it take to stick a punchline? Fewer than it takes to offend a fellow traveller; certainly fewer than it takes to form a book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wanted to name this book There’s No Such Thing as a Singapore Noodle, but it was too much of a mouthful. I thought to name it King of Fruits, but the title was usurped.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne durian is an acquired taste. Two, a decadence. Three durians are exorbitant – a hazard to the knees and shins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese durians are for you to split, de-thorn, and savour – and to smuggle onto trains and buses at your own risk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease, handle with care.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e–Troy Wong\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cordite Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47314862899369,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0812\/6659\/files\/9781764449120.png?v=1785743500","url":"https:\/\/corditebooks.org.au\/products\/three-durians","provider":"Cordite Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}