Ho Poh Fun (b. 1946, Singapore – d. 12 March 2018, Singapore) was a poet and writer.1 Her poetry collection, Katong and Other Poems, was published in 1994.2
Early life
Ho was educated at Tanjong Katong Girls’ School and then Raffles Institution3 before becoming a teacher at Raffles Junior College.4 She received a master’s degree in English from the National University of Singapore in 1987.5
Literary career
Ho’s fiction, a short story called “When the Tabebuia Bloomed at Soo Chow Gardens”, first appeared in Tanjong Rhu and Other Stories – a collection of four award-winning titles from the 1982 Short Story Writing Competition organised by the former Ministry of Culture.6
The same piece was later also published in The Fiction of Singapore,7 while another of Ho’s stories, “Guest”, was featured in Inthanon: An Anthology of Short Stories.8
Her poems have been anthologised in collections such as Rhythms: A Millennial Anthology of Poetry,9 Love Gathers All: A Philippines-Singapore Anthology of Love Poems,10 Journeys: Words, Home and Nation,11 Singapore: Places, Poems, Paintings,12 Memories and Desires: A Poetic History of Singapore13 and No Other City: An Ethos Anthology of Urban Poetry.14
Ho’s collection of poems Katong and Other Poems (1994) won the National Book Development Council of Singapore’s Commendation Award for poetry in 1996.15
Literary style and influences
Lauded as complex and full of possibilities, Ho’s works showcase the diversity of life with her subdued yet refined sensibility. Her writing style, described to be neat and uncluttered, speaks of her awareness and of the tension that lies beneath the surface. Poems such as “Chrysanthemum”, “Thoughtscapes Singapore” and “Transitional” (found in Katong and Other Poems) are considered landmarks in Singapore poetry.16
Her influences included T. S. Eliot, Gerald Manley Hopkins, E. O. Wilson, Rainer Maria Rilke, Pablo Neruda, Natalie Angier, Thomas Friedman and Daniel Dennett. Ho enjoyed works with cultural, botanical and biological themes.17
Author
Alvin Chua
References
1. Edwin Thumboo and Chee Lick Ho, eds., Journeys: Words, Home and Nation: Anthology of Singapore Poetry (1984–1995) (Singapore: UniPress, 1995), 468 (Call no. RSING S821 JOU); Olivia Ho, “Singaporean Poet and Teacher Ho Poh Fun Dies,” Straits Times, 13 March 2018, https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/singaporean-poet-and-teacher-ho-poh-fun-dies.
2. Ho Poh Fun, Katong and Other Poems (Singapore: UniPress, 1994). (Call no. RSING S821 HO)
3. Thumboo and Chee, Journeys: Words, Home and Nation, 468.
4. Ho Poh Fun, Tributaries: Convergence on an Afternoon of Poetry & Music (Singapore: Creative Writing Club, Raffles Junior College, 1995). (Call no. RSING S821 TRI)
5. Edwin Thumboo et al., eds., The Fiction of Singapore (Singapore: ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, 1990), 1259. (Call no. RSING S823.008 FIC)
6. Ho Mingfong, Tanjong Rhu and Other Stories (Singapore: Federal Publications, 1986), back cover. (Call no. RSING S823.01 TAN)
7. Thumboo, The Fiction of Singapore, 1090–098.
8. Khunying Maenmas Chavalit, ed., Inthanon: An Anthology of Short Stories (Bangkok: ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, 1997), 153–71. (Call no. RSEA 808.831 INT)
9. Kirpal Singh, ed., Rhythms: A Singaporean Millennial Anthology of Poetry (Singapore: National Arts Council, 2000), 206–7. (Call no. RSING S821 RHY)
10. Ramon Sunico, Love Gathers All: The Philippines-Singapore Anthology of Love Poetry (Singapore: Ethos Books; Manila: Anvil Pub., 2002), 71. (Call no. RSING 821.00803543 LOV)
11. Thumboo and Chee, Journeys: Words, Home and Nation, 55–60.
12. Koh Buck Song and Chia Wai Hon, ed., Singapore: Places, Poems, Paintings (Singapore: Raffles Editions, 1998), 90–92. (Call no. RSING 700.95957 SIN)
13. Robbie Goh et al., eds., Memories and Desires: A Poetic History of Singapore (Singapore: UniPress, 1998), 40–41. (Call no. RSING 808.8 MEM)
14. Alvin Pang and Aaron Soon Yong Lee, eds., No Other City: The Ethos Anthology of Urban Poetry (Singapore: Ethos Books, 2000), 57–59. (Call no. RSING S821 NO)
15. Sunico, Love Gathers All, 201–2.
16. Lee P. T., “Foreword,” in Ho Poh Fun, Katong and Other Poems (Singapore: UniPress, 1994), xiv. (Call no. RSING S821 HO)
17. Sunico, Love Gathers All, 201–2; Pang and Soon, No Other City, 194.
The information in this article is valid as at 2018 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
The information on this page and any images that appear here may be used for private research and study purposes only. They may not be copied, altered or amended in any way without first gaining the permission of the copyright holder.
The Singapore government has commissioned national songs since the 1980s. The early songs featured strong nationalistic themes and resembled advertising jingles. Since then, national songs have taken on a pop sensibility and become a showcase for local musical talent. These songs play a major role in the annual National Day...
The ARTS FISSION Company is a local non-profit dance company founded by choreographer Angela Liong and visual artist S. Chandrasekaran in 1994. As the first multidisciplinary contemporary dance group in Singapore, the company creates original works and new dance genres that are influenced by Asian traditions, cultures and aesthetics. Since...
Dikir barat is a style of Malay choral singing popular in Singapore and Malaysia. With a flexible format that incorporates singing, poetry, movement and music, dikir barat is a form of entertainment that cuts across various segments of society....
S. Varathan (b. 22 February 1934, Singapore –), recipient of the National Arts Council Cultural Medallion in 1984, has played an active role in the local Tamil drama scene as an artiste, director, founder, producer, writer and researcher....
TheatreWorks is Singapore’s flagship English language theatre company formed in 1985 by theatre practitioners Lim Siauw Chong, Lim Kay Tong and Justin Hill. The company aims to develop and nurture local artists, promote and support Singaporean writing and literature, and create awareness of social issues through its productions and initiatives...
Goh Eck Kheng (b. 1955, Singapore–) is the founder of publishing house, Landmark Books. He served as a board member of the Media Development Authority from 2007 to 2008. In 2008, Goh was appointed chairman of the Speak Good English Movement. ...
Daren Shiau Vee Lung (b. 1971, Singapore–) is a writer, lawyer and an environmental activist. He won the Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1998 for his debut novel, Heartland. Shiau also received the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2002. In addition to his literary career, Shiau is...
The Cultural Medallion honours individuals who have achieved excellence in the fields of literary arts, performing arts, visual arts and film, and contributed to Singapore’s cultural environment. The award is conferred by the president of Singapore and administered by the National Arts Council (NAC). Instituted in 1979 by Ong Teng...
Goh Sin Tub (b. 2 December 1927, Singapore–d. 16 November 2004, Singapore) was a “first generation” Singaporean writer, teacher, civil servant, banker, and long-time chairman of St Joseph’s Institution’s board of governors. He authored more than a dozen novels and short stories in his lifetime, including a collection of Malay...
The Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) is a non-profit cultural organisation, dedicated to the preservation and transmission of Indian culture through the arts. Its motto is “kala samskriti lakshanam”, meaning “art characterises civilisation”. SIFAS provides classes in Indian classical dance (including bharathanatyam, kathak and kuchipudi) and music (such as...