Judith Mok

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Judith Mok (born 1954 in Bergen, North Holland) is a Dutch soprano, author and poet. She lives in Ireland and has released novels and other works in English. Her last book is loosely based on family facts, but with a great deal of fiction.

Contents

Early life and education

Judith Mok was born in 1958 [1] in Bergen, North Holland, the daughter of Moses (later Maurits) Mok and Riemke Timmermans,who was not Jewish. [2] who met after World War II. [3] Her father was a writer, poet, and translator, and her mother was a housewife and a translator. Mok has an older half-sister who is Dutch and was a pre-adolescent when her grandparents were arrested during World War II. [2]

As a young child, once Mok moved back and forth between Bergen and Southern France. [2] At age 14, she entered the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she was accepted into both the dance and music programs. She eventually studied under Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, a German-born opera soprano who had supported the Nazis and sang at Auschwitz concentration camp . At age 19, Mok published her first short story collection, [4] then graduated the following year. [5]

Career

Mok's career has included singing soprano with the opera, as well as writing. [3]

She published her first poetry collection at age 19 [4] and has since published additional collections. [6] She has also published three novels, as well as a memoir, The State of Dark, in which she discusses her family's history related to the Holocaust, including the fact that 163 of her family members were killed. [3] [4] [7] [8] Some of her books are written in English and others in Dutch.

Mok began singing professionally when she was 21 years old. [9] As of 2021, she also provides voice coaching to singers. [3] [5]

Personal life

Mok was married to a Frenchman for six months, ending shortly after Mok met poet and critic Michael O'Loughlin in Barcelona. Mok became pregnant with O'Loughlin's daughter, Saar; the couple married in 1988, [10] then moved to Ireland in 2002. [2] [4]

She speaks six languages. She lost contact with her Dutch family because of her fabulations and distrustful behaviour. [9] [10]

Publications

Anthology contributions

Poetry

Fictional Memoir

Novels

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References

  1. ↑ "The state of dark / Judith Mok". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ríordáin, Clíona Ní (25 May 2023). "Interview with Judith Mok". Études Irlandaises. 48–1 (48–1): 103–109. doi:10.4000/etudesirlandaises.14941. ISSN   0183-973X.
  3. 1 2 3 4 McGuiggan, James Camien (4 January 2023). "So That They are Not Lost". The Journal of Music . Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lee, Jenny (25 September 2023). "Dutch soprano and vocal coach to the stars Judith Mok recounts her family's Holocaust losses". The Irish News . Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 Smither, Tanis (11 May 2021). "Interview: Renowned vocal coach Judith Mok discusses Ireland's ever-growing pool of talent". Hot Press . Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Huber, Werner; Mayer, Sandra; Novak, Julia, eds. (2012). Ireland in, and Europe: cross-currents and exchanges. Irish studies in Europe. Trier: Wiss. Verl. Trier. ISBN   978-3-86821-421-5.
  7. ↑ Bolger, Dermot (15 October 2022). "The State of Dark: Powerful memoir gives voice to a family the Nazis tried to silence" . Business Post . Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Dhuibhne, Éilís Ní (12 November 2022). "The State of Dark by Judith Mok: a memoir beyond the ordinary" . The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  9. 1 2 Angulo, Sergio (20 September 2012). "Judith Mok: Spanish is Great for Poetry". The Instituto Cervantes. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  10. 1 2 Smith, Andrea (18 September 2011). "The never-ending love story". Irish Independent . Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  11. ↑ Vaupel, Angela (2012). "Exile, Migration, and 'The Other' in Contemporary Irish Writing". In Huber, Werner; Mayer, Sandra; Novak, Julia (eds.). Ireland in, and Europe: cross-currents and exchanges. Irish studies in Europe. Trier: Wiss. Verl. Trier. pp. 161–172. ISBN   978-3-86821-421-5.
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