Edwin Thumboo facts for kids

Edwin Nadason Thumboo is a famous Singaporean poet and university professor. He is known as one of the first people to create and promote English literature in Singapore. Many people call him Singapore's unofficial national poet.

Born in 1933, Thumboo has written many poetry collections, including Ulysses by the Merlion (1979). He has also won many awards for his writing and his work in education. He taught at the National University of Singapore for many years.

Early Life and School Days

Edwin Thumboo was born in colonial Singapore on November 22, 1933. He was the oldest of eight children. His father was a Tamil Indian schoolteacher, and his mother was Teochew-Peranakan Chinese.

He and his siblings grew up speaking English and Teochew. Their family was comfortable, and their home was special because it had electricity. Because he had parents from different backgrounds, he sometimes faced teasing. This made him determined and proud of himself.

He went to Pasir Panjang Primary School in 1940. During the Japanese occupation of Singapore (1942–1945), he helped his family by selling cakes and working. After the war, he studied at Monk's Hill Secondary School and Victoria School.

At Victoria School, he started writing poetry at age 17. His English teacher, Shamus Frazer, encouraged him. Thumboo later dedicated his first poetry book, Rib of Earth (1956), to Frazer.

University and Career

Thumboo studied English literature and history at the University of Malaya. As a student, he was part of the editorial team for Fajar, a student journal. In 1954, he and seven other students were arrested by the British government. They were accused of speaking out against the government.

Future Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew helped defend them in court. The students were found not guilty.

Thumboo finished his degree in English in 1956. He wanted to teach at the university, but he was not hired at first. So, he worked in the government for about nine years. He joined the university in 1966, after Singapore became independent.

He earned his Ph.D. from the university in 1970. He became a full professor in the English Department and led the department from 1977 to 1993. When the University of Singapore and Nanyang University joined to form the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1980, he became the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. He held this role for 11 years, making him the longest-serving dean of that faculty at NUS.

A view of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Thumboo was Dean of this Faculty from 1980 to 1991.

As a professor, he taught many subjects, including English drama, poetry, and creative writing. He also researched modern novels and literature from different countries. He helped introduce the study of new English literatures and English language as a main subject. This helped graduates teach English better in schools.

Thumboo retired from full-time teaching in 1997 but continued to be an emeritus professor. He also served as the first Chairman and Director of the university's Centre for the Arts from 1993 to 2005. He also taught at universities in Australia, the UK, and the US. In 1991, he helped the Ministry of Education start the Creative Arts Programme for students in Singapore. He still guides young poets through this program.

Poetry and Its Impact

In the 1950s, Thumboo wrote poems about his personal feelings and experiences. Later, he started focusing on public life. He believed that poets in independent Singapore should help create a national literature.

His collections like Gods Can Die (1977), Ulysses by the Merlion (1979), and A Third Map (1993) made him known as a national poet. He wanted to share a cultural vision for Singapore, which has many different cultures.

Thumboo's Ulysses by the Merlion (1979; bottom) on a plaque near the Merlion statue (top) in Marina Bay.

Thumboo is often called Singapore's unofficial national poet because of his poems about national pride. These include 9 August – II (1977) and Ulysses by the Merlion (1979). Ulysses talks about the Merlion, a famous statue in Singapore. This poem was inspired by how Irish poet W. B. Yeats used Irish stories and history. Thumboo saw similarities between Ireland's fight for independence and Singapore's journey after colonialism.

He sees myths as old stories that help a multicultural society feel stable and connected. Ulysses has inspired many other Singaporean poets to write their own "Merlion poems." A copy of Ulysses is even placed on a plaque near the Merlion statue.

History is also very important in Thumboo's poetry. He believes that history helps people understand who they are as individuals and as part of a multicultural society. It gives them a sense of belonging and identity.

In 2008, The Straits Times newspaper said that Thumboo's biggest achievement was helping to create Singapore literature in English. Thumboo himself said he just felt a need to help create something new. He put together some of the first collections of English poetry from Singapore and Malaysia. He also edited two collections of poetry and fiction for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He has also published two poetry books for children called Child's Delight (1972). His latest collection, Still Travelling, came out in 2008. In 2015, his book Gods Can Die was named one of the Top 10 English Singapore books from 1965–2015.

Awards and Recognition

Thumboo has won the National Book Development Council of Singapore Book Awards for Poetry three times. He won in 1978 for Gods Can Die, in 1980 for Ulysses by the Merlion, and in 1994 for A Third Map.

He also received the first S.E.A. Write Award in 1979 and the first Cultural Medallion for Literature in 1979. In 1987, he received the ASEAN Cultural and Communication Award. In 2002, he was given the Raja Rao Award for his contributions to literature by people of Indian origin living abroad.

Singapore also honored him with the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in 1981, and again in 1991. In 2006, he received the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Meritorious Services Medal) as a distinguished poet and scholar.

Personal Life

Some of Thumboo's poems have themes from the Bible. This shows that he was born into a Protestant Christian family and was baptized as an adult.

Thumboo and his wife, Yeo Swee Ching, live in Bukit Panjang, Singapore. They have a son named Julian and a daughter named Claire. They also have seven grandchildren, to whom he dedicated his 2008 book Still Travelling.