Paul Tan Kim Liang | |
---|---|
Born | 1970 |
Occupation | Writer, Deputy Chief Executive of National Arts Council |
Language | English |
Nationality | Singapore |
Paul Tan Kim Liang (born 1970) is a Singaporean poet and current deputy chief executive of the National Arts Council (NAC) of Singapore.
Tan only started writing poetry seriously during National Service. He attained his Bachelor of Arts (Second Upper Honours) in English Language and Literature from the National University of Singapore. [1] During his undergraduate years, Tan won consecutive first prizes in the NUS Literary Society poetry competition in 1992 and 1993. [2] He graduated with a Masters of Arts in Culture and Communications from the University of East Anglia in 2004. [1]
He worked as a broadcast journalist with the Television Corporation of Singapore (now Mediacorp). [1] He then worked as Deputy Head, Editorial Promotion and Branding with the Singapore Press Holdings between 2004 and 2007. [1] He also served as the Director (Strategic Marketing and Communications) in the Singapore Tourism Board until 31 January 2011. [1] He was appointed as the festival director of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) in 2010 [1] and served as the festival director of the SWF between 2011 and 2014, [3] handing the position over to poet Yeow Kai Chai. He was then appointed as the NAC's deputy chief executive, taking over from Yvonne Tham. [4]
Tan's early work has been described as having "a unique disposition for observation and reflection, with the occasional cheekiness and lightly interrogative gesture." [5] His first poetry collection, Curious Roads (1994), won the Commendation award at the Singapore Literature Prize 1993. [2] Curious Roads focuses largely on the poet's growing up years and his time during national service [2] and has been described as "personal". [6]
Tan's second poetry collection, Driving Into Rain (1998), won the Merit award at the Singapore Literature Prize 1997. [2] His second collection seeks to project the poet's relationship with the larger world [2] and according to poet Dr Cyril Wong, "regularly stops short of divulging enough about the poet’s persona for readers to enter a more rewarding and connective relationship with the poetry". [5]
Tan's third collection, First Meeting of Hands, represented a departure from his previous style of writing and contains poems that "achieve a balance between social critique and the characterisation of a distinct and authentic—even if disillusioned and resentful—Singaporean voice". [5]
Tan has also penned the lyrics to the National Day Parade 2012 song "Love at First Light", composed by Iskandar Ismail, and sung by Olivia Ong and Natanya Tan. [2]
Tan's fifth collection, When the lights went off, captures the sentiment of middle age and the poet's changing priorities towards love and mortality. [7]
Title | Year | Publisher | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Curious Roads | 1994 | EPB Publishers | ISBN 9971005743 |
Driving Into Rain | 1998 | Raffles Editions | ISBN 9971008548 |
First Meeting of Hands | 2006 | firstfruits | ISBN 9810563108 |
Seasonal Disorders/Impractical Lessons | 2014 | firstfruits | ISBN 9789814189545 |
When the Lights Went Off | 2018 | Landmark Books | ISBN 9789814189866 |
Title | Venue | Year |
---|---|---|
Jasmine's Father | Quarterly Literary Review Singapore | 2001 |
The Oriental Grocer | Quarterly Literary Review Singapore | 2006 |
The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans. It is written chiefly in the country's four official languages: English, Malay, Standard Mandarin and Tamil.
Aaron Lee Soon Yong is a Singaporean prize-winning poet who writes in English. He was born in Malaysia but received his education in Singapore and became a Singaporean in 1996.
Cyril Wong is a poet, fictionist and critic.
The Singapore Literature Prize is a biennial award in Singapore to recognise outstanding published works by Singaporean authors in any of the four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The competition is organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) with the support of the National Arts Council and the National Library Board.
The National Arts Council of Singapore is a statutory board established on 15 October 1991 to oversee the development of arts in Singapore. It is under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. The NAC provides grants, scholarships, awards and platforms for arts practitioners, as well as arts education and programmes for the general public.
Daren Shiau, PBM, is a Singaporean novelist, poet, conservationist, and lawyer in private practice qualified in Singapore, England and Wales. He is an author of five books.
Ng Yi Sheng is a Singaporean gay writer. He has published a collection of his poems entitled last boy, which won the Singapore Literature Prize, and a documentary book on gay, lesbian and bisexual Singaporeans called SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century in 2006.
The Singapore Writers Festival is a literary event organised by the National Arts Council. Inaugurated in 1986, the festival serves a dual function of promoting new and emerging Singaporean and Asian writing to an international audience, as well as presenting foreign writers to Singaporeans.
Gwee Li Sui is a poet, a graphic artist, and a literary critic from Singapore.
Grace Chia is a Singaporean writer, poet, journalist and editor.
Joshua Ip is a Singaporean poet, and writer.
Jerrold Yam is a Singaporean poet and lawyer whose poetry has been widely published and anthologised.
firstfruits publications is an independent book publisher based in Singapore. It is an imprint of mediaexodus LLP, a design firm which offers copy-editing and translation services. firstfruits publications is known to publish a diverse range of writers from Singapore. It has published numerous poetry volumes and anthologies by writers including Aaron Maniam, Cyril Wong, Eleanor Wong, Madeleine Lee, Ng Yi-Sheng, and Yong Shu Hoong.
Heng Siok Tian is a Singaporean poet and educator. She has published five volumes of poetry: Crossing the Chopsticks and Other Poems (1993), My City, My Canvas (1999), Contouring (2004), Is My Body a Myth (2011) and Mixing Tongues (2011).
Founded in 1986, Landmark Books is an independent publisher based in Singapore. The company publishes a wide range of genres, spanning art books, cookbooks, heritage, prose, poetry as well as business / investment guides. They also provide publishing and consultancy services.
Pooja Nansi is a Singaporean poet, musician and educator.
Aaron Shahril Yusoff Maniam is a poet and civil servant.
Theophilus Kwek is a Singaporean poet, editor, and critic
Mohamed Latiff Mohamed is a Singaporean Malay poet and writer.
Yong Shu Hoong is a Singaporean poet and educator.