Rex Shelley: The Passing of A Literary Icon

Rex Anthony Shelley passed away on 21 August 2009 at the Assisi Hospice in Thomson Road at the age of 78. He is survived by two sisters, his wife, three children and six grandchildren.

An engineer who served for over three decades on the Public Service Commission, he started writing at a late age, publishing The Shrimp People at 61.

The novel was awarded the top prize for the National Book Development Council’s book awards in 1992. Shelley went on to write three more novels within the decade.

The Shrimp People, People Of The Pear Tree (1993), Island In The Centre (1995) and A River Of Roses (1998) together form a quartet about the Eurasian community in Singapore.

Shelley also published three non-fiction books during his lifetime: Culture Shock! Japan (1992), Cultures Of The World: Japan (1994) and Sounds And Sins Of Singlish (1995).

Shelley belonged to the unique generation of Singaporeans who lived through the colonial era, World War II and the nation’s journey to self-government and nationhood.

Born in 1930 in Singapore, he took an honours degree in chemistry from the University of Malaya in 1952 under a university scholarship, then attended Cambridge University, where he studied engineering and economics.

After graduating, he worked in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan until May 1965, when he returned to Singapore to work for a company making pipes. He then ran his own business importing machinery. He served on the PSC for 31 years from 1976, interviewing potential undergraduate scholars as well as top civil servants for promotions to positions such as permanent secretaries.

Though he had a late start as a writer, some of his books are already being regarded as local classics. Earlier this month, Singapore-based publishing house Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) republished two of his books—The Shrimp People and Sounds And Sins Of Singlish.

The late author’s final work, a biography of his uncle, Eurasian gynaecologist Charles Paglar, will be published later this year by The Straits Times Press.

Quartet of books on Eurasian community
The Shrimp People (Times Books International, 1991; Marshall Cavendish, 2009)
Spanning the 1500s to the 1980s but focusing on the 1950s and 1960s, its protagonist is Bertha Rodrigues, a strong and rebellious Eurasian woman who carves out a life for herself in the turbulent years after World War II.

People Of The Pear Tree (Times Books International, 1993)
Shelley’s second novel tells the tale of the Perera family during the Japanese Occupation in Singapore and Malaya. Relationships such as one between a Japanese major and a Eurasian girl raise questions of identity and belonging.

Island In The Centre (Times Books International, 1995)
Set in the 1930s, the story follows Japanese characters who seek their fortune in Malaya, mingling with the Eurasian community even as the impending outbreak of war casts a shadow over all their lives.

A River Of Roses (Times Books International, 1998)
This epic follows four generations of the Rosario family in Malaya, including their relationships with people from various racial and religious backgrounds, as the region witnesses the ravages of war and the struggle towards independence.

All books can be borrowed from the public libraries. They can be found in the SING section under the call number ENG SHE.

The Shrimp People is on sale at most major bookstores at $18.50 before GST.

Nine Literary Projects to Benefit from Arts Creation Fund

A Muslim woman torn in a familial and religious dilemma, circus performers caught up in the throes of war and curious cases of missing people—these are some of the literary works that will be supported with the launch of the Arts Creation Fund (ACF), a Renaissance City Plan III initiative launched by the National Arts Council (NAC) in November 2008.

The ACF is aimed at growing Singapore’s trove of original, high-quality performing, visual, and literary art works, ranging from theatre productions to Chinese fiction novels.

Approximately S$759,000 will be disbursed as seed funding. Apart from the nine literary arts projects, six performing arts productions and five visual arts projects will also receive funding from the ACF.

Proposals were received from veterans such as poet Felix Cheong and firstfruits publisher Enoch Ng, to emerging artists like first-time writers Nanny Eliana Ismail and Adele Wong. These proposals were evaluated on the strength of their artistic merit, potential to contribute to the legacy of the local arts scene, and the applicants’ demonstration of good project management.

To Dave Chua, one of the beneficiaries, the ACF will be a great help to him financially. The author of the novel “Gone Case” (1996), recipient of the Singapore Literature Prize Commendation Award in 1996, is no stranger to the difficulties of being a writer in Singapore. He jocularly remarks that writing fiction in Singapore is hardly a “profitable venture”—writers often have to take up other jobs to supplement their income.

A freelance writer, he found it difficult to dedicate time and devote the necessary concentration for literary pursuits due to his work commitments. As a recipient of the ACF, he hopes he will be able to “legitimately get back to writing fiction”.

He is currently conducting research for his second novel, “The Beating” and has also written some parts of it. “The Beating” is a novel in English about a man trying to come to terms with his abusive past after the death of his father. It is based on his SPH-NAC Golden Point Award winning short story, “Father’s Gifts”.

Isa Kamari’s Works To Reach A Wider Audience

Readers of English literature will be able to appreciate the works of Cultural Medallion (CM) winner Isa Kamari when two of his Malay books are translated into English. He will also be publishing of a collection of theatre scripts, together with other multi-modal presentations of literature such as through song, music videos, and a mini concert.

This is one among the seven projects funded under the Cultural Medallion Grant, which is specially designed to enable recipients of Singapore’s highest honours for the arts to embark on new major projects. The Grant encourages the continuation of their artistic pursuits and enriches the Singapore’s cultural landscape through the production of high quality artworks that contribute to Singapore’s artistic legacy.

The Grant was established in 2000 under the Renaissance City Plan, and has enabled the fruition of innovative, dynamic ideas and creations which have helped to elevate the global standing of Singapore arts, as well as bringing the arts closer to the local community.

Singapore writer Emily Lim wins second IPPY award for the second year running

Faced with competition from all over the world, Singapore writer Emily Lim was pleasantly surprised once again in June when she won the prestigious IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards) for the second year running.

Her entry for the IPPY, titled “Just Teddy”, won the Bronze award in the Children’s Picture Books category for seven and under, tying with another entry for the prize that honours independent writers and publishers worldwide.

The book depicts a lonely teddy bear who tries hard to fit in with the toys at a toy factory. His quest takes him on a path that leads him to make a surprising discovery about himself.

“Just Teddy” draws inspiration from a rediscovery of herself. Just like the teddy bear who discovers who he is, Emily, a Christian, says she has discovered how circumstances in life should not limit the way she lives her life.

Boosted by the warm reception to her books, Emily hopes her experience will spur more new writers to create their own works.

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16 Aug

Singapore Writers at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

On Sunday, 16 Aug 2009, three Singapore writers were featured at the prestigious Edinburgh International Book Festival. Held in one of the four largest theatres at the Festival, the Peppers Theatre, the “Writers from Singapore” session featured Edwin Thumboo, Suchen Christine Lim and Simon Tay and was chaired by Rosemary Burnett, former head of Amnesty International (Scotland).  

The session was opened by Suchen’s bold reading from her Singapore Literature Prize winning novel “A Fistful of Colours’ and followed by Edwin Thumboo’s elegant musings from his poetry collection ‘Still Travelling”. Simon Tay capped the session with a poignant rendition from his first novel “City of Small Blessings”. The audience were then treated to a frank discussion on the role of the writer in society and how the writers felt about the state of literature in Singapore today during the Q&A session that followed.

 For the 60-odd audience comprising curious participants, connoisseurs of Asian literature as well as supporters of our home-grown talents, it was a wonderful introduction to Singapore literature. The writers were prime examples of what we have to offer to the international literati - a rich tapestry of cultural, social, geographical, political and economic influences that makes Singapore literature – well, uniquely ours.