Literary festivals in Singapore play host to readers and writers alike, and include book festivals, writers’ festivals as well as language festivals. These events are not only platforms for promoting reading and authors, but also an appreciation for writing and ...
Lee Tzu Pheng (b. 13 May 1946, Singapore–) is one of Singapore’s distinguished poets. A retired university lecturer, she has published in anthologies and journals internationally. Her three volumes of poetry, Prospect of a Drowning (1980), Against the Next Wave ...
Haresh Sharma (b. 1965, Singapore–) is the resident playwright of The Necessary Stage, Singapore. A critically-acclaimed playwright known for his socially-conscious plays, he has written more than 100 plays that have been staged in Singapore and abroad, such as ...
Paul Tan Kim Liang (b. 1970–) is a poet and winner of the Singapore Literature Prize in 1993 and 1997 for his collections of poems.
Dave Chua Hak Lien (b. 1970, Malaysia –), author of the novel Gone Case, was the recipient of the Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1996. He had been the joint winner of the SPH-NAC (Singapore Press Holdings-National Arts Council) Golden Point Award ...
Suchen Christine Lim (b. 1948, Malaysia–) is the first winner of the Singapore Literature Prize (Fiction) in 1992 for her novel, A Fistful of Colours. Lim has written short stories, children’s stories, students’ textbooks as well as a play. In 2000, she was the ...
Tan Hwee Hwee (b. 1974, Singapore–) was the recipient of the National Arts Council’s (NAC) Young Artist Award in 2003. She is the author of Foreign Bodies (1997) and Mammon Inc. (2001), which won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2004. Her works have been published ...
Felix Cheong Seng Fei (b. 1965, Singapore–) is a poet and recipient of the National Arts Council Young Artist Award for Literature in 2000. He has published three volumes of poetry: Temptation and Other Poems (1998), I Watch the Stars Go Out (1999) and Broken by ...
Wong Yoon Wah (b. 13 August 1941, Perak, Malaysia–) is one of the few Singaporeans who excel as an international poet, critic and scholar. Prolific in both creative and academic writing, Wong has published more than 20 collections of prose, poetry, and academic ...
Edwin Nadason Thumboo (b. 22 November 1933, Singapore–), Emeritus Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, is widely regarded as the unofficial poet laureate of Singapore. He is best known for writing on national ...
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), ...
Khoo Seok Wan (¬¬邱菽园) (b. 10 November 1874, Fujian, China — d. 1 December 1941, Singapore) was better known in Singapore as a literary scholar and poet. In his youth, he was a strong supporter of the Reformist Movement in China and founded progressive newspapers ...
P. Krishnan (b. 1932, Johor, Malaya–), also known as Puthumaithasan, is regarded as one of Singapore’s Tamil literary pioneers. He is a prolific short-story writer, playwright, poet and radio broadcaster, with an oeuvre comprising more than 40 stories, 100 essays ...
Alvin Pang (b. 1972, Singapore–) is considered as part of a new breed of young Singapore poets that emerged in the 1990s. These new poets include Felix Cheong, Alfian Sa’at, Toh Hsien Min and Cyril Wong. Pang’s publications include two collections of poetry, Testing ...
Cyril Wong Yit Mun (b. 1977, Singapore–) is an award-winning poet and writer. He clinched the National Arts Council’s (NAC) Young Artist Award in 2005 and is a two-time winner of the Singapore Literature Prize (2006; joint winner for 2016) for English poetry. Wong ...
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 ...
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 ...
Yong Shu Hoong (b. 1966, Singapore–) is an award-winning Singaporean poet and literary advocate. His collections of poetry include Isaac (1997), Isaac Revisited (2001), dowhile (2002), Frottage (2005) (which shared the 2006 Singapore Literature Prize with Unmarked ...
Munshi Abdullah (b. 1797, Kampong Pali, Malacca–d. October 1854, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) was also known as Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir. Gifted in languages, he mastered Arabic, Tamil, Hindi and Malay. Abdullah was known for his work as a teacher, interpreter and writer. ...
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 ...