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Singaporean poet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Tan Kim Liang (born 1970) is a Singaporean poet and current deputy chief executive of the National Arts Council (NAC) of Singapore.
Paul Tan Kim Liang | |
---|---|
Born | 1970 |
Occupation | Writer, Deputy Chief Executive of National Arts Council |
Language | English |
Nationality | 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 |