Na Govindasamy (b. 1946, Singapore−d. 26 May 1999) was an educator, writer and an Internet researcher. He started writing in the 1960s. His works, which include plays, dramas and short stories for radio and television, furthered the development of literature in ...

N. Palanivelu (b. 1908, Tanjore district, Sikkal, Tamil Nadu, India−d. 11 November 2000, Singapore) was a novelist, playwright and poet who had been an active writer for more than 50 years. His short stories and poems reflected political and social changes over ...

The Singapore Indian Education Trust (SIET) is an Indian community trust fund that supports the education of local Indians, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. It was set up in 1967 with trade unionist Govindasamy Kandasamy as one of ...

The Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) is a self-help group for Singapore’s Indian community. It supports education, assists families in need and fosters collaboration with related organisations. Its mission is to “build a well-educated, resilient ...

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 ...

Mohamed Latiff Mohamed (b. 20 March 1950, Singapore– ) is a prolific poet and writer in Singapore’s Malay literary scene. A teacher by training, he is best known for his works about the struggles of the Malay community in post-independence Singapore. A three-time ...

Catherine Lim Poh Imm (b. 21 March 1942, Penang, Malaysia–) is the doyenne of Singapore stories. Lim is an accomplished and critically acclaimed author who has published a dozen collections of short stories, five novels, two volumes of poems and even a play. She ...

Mohammed Saffri Bin Abdul Manaf (b. 3 November 1952, Singapore–) is a scriptwriter, actor, director and comedian. Much of his work has been aired on the local Malay television and radio. A bangsawan (Malay opera) enthusiast, M. Saffri has also written, acted in ...

Eleanor Wong Siew Yin (b. 6 February 1962, Singapore–) is a lawyer and playwright. She is best known for her trilogy of plays Invitation to Treat (2003), which explores the themes of lesbianism, female sexuality and gender politics in Singapore. Two of the plays ...

Ho Poh Fun (b. 1946, Singapore – d. 12 March 2018, Singapore) was a poet and writer. Her poetry collection, Katong and Other Poems, was published in 1994.

M. Balakrishnan (b. 18 September 1938, Singapore–), or Mayandiambalam Balakrishnan, is a prominent author popularly known by his pen name – Ma Ilangkannan. He was the first Tamil writer to receive the South East Asian Writers Award in 1982, and was awarded the ...

Dennis Bloodworth (b. 24 May 1919, London, England – d. 14 June 2005, Singapore) was a veteran journalist and writer who wrote extensively on the political developments in Southeast Asia and China.

Heng Siok Tian (b. 1963, Singapore–) has published five volumes of poetry. An educator for more than 25 years, she received the National Day Honours for her long service with the Ministry of Education in 2015. She has been a stalwart of the Creative Arts Programme ...

Tan Sri Abdul Samad Ismail (b. 18 April 1924, Singapore–d. 4 September 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) was a journalist, political activist, and creative writer, known for promoting Malay nationalism. He was a founding member of the Gerakan Angkatan Muda (Geram), ...

Li Lienfung (李廉凤) (b. 1923, Shanghai, China–d. 3 August 2011, Singapore) was a chemist and writer. She worked in the Wah Chang group of companies started by her father, Li Kuo Ching, with her huband Ho Ri Hwa, a prominent businessman and former ambassador. As a ...

Alfian bin Sa’at (b. 18 July 1977, Singapore–), commonly known as Alfian Sa’at, is a prominent English- and Malay-language playwright, poet and short-story writer in Singapore and Malaysia. Known for his politically charged works, Alfian is notable for being the ...

Kirpal Singh (b. 1949, Singapore–) is a poet, literary and cultural critic, and university lecturer in English language and literature. He has written and published four collections of poetry and edited numerous literary journals and books. He was a founding member ...

Jah Lelawati (b.1937, Medan, Indonesia–d. 2 November 1979, Singapore), also referred to as Jahlelawati, was a bangsawan (Malay opera) actress and writer. She started by writing novels and short stories and later progressed to scripts for radio and television dramas. ...

Ovidia Yu (b. 1961, Singapore–) is an award-winning novelist, short story writer and playwright. She is the recipient of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore Foundation Culture Award (1996), the National Arts Council Young Artist Award (1996) ...

Stella Kon (b. 1944, Edinburgh, Scotland–), a playwright, novelist, short-story writer and poet, is best known for her monodrama Emily of Emerald Hill, which has been performed locally as well as internationally. The winner of several playwriting competitions in ...