Born in 1960
An architect by profession, with a calling as a writer, Isa is best known for his novel, Satu Bumi (1998), which delved into issues surrounding wartime and post war Singapore, even though he started off with poetry. His poetry collection, Sumur Usia, received the National Book Development Council of Singapore Award (1997). A dynamic writer, he is currently one of Singapore’s more experimental novelists, as evidenced by Kiswah (2003) and Tawassul (2004). Isa also writes plays such as Dua Wajah (2003) and Mengejar Bayangan (2004). He received the prestigious SEA Write Award in 2007.


Ismail bin Haji Omar was educated in Malay, English and Arabic. He is better known by his pen name Noor S. I. Along with poems, he also writes drama scripts, short stories, essays and criticism. He received the South-east Asian Write Award in 1985. His collections of poetry include Setanggi Waja, Rakaman Roh, and Dewi Alam dan Burung Senja. His anthologies of plays, Mana Bulan Mana Bintang and Dayang Petani, were published in 1974. He is currently the editor of a publishing house in Singapore.