Goh Poh Seng facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Goh Poh Seng
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| 吴宝星 | |
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| Born | ca. July 1936 |
| Died | 10 January 2010 (aged 73) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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| Nationality | Singaporean Canadian |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Awards | 1982 Cultural Medallion |
Goh Poh Seng (simplified Chinese: 吴宝星; traditional Chinese: 吳寶星; pinyin: Wú Bǎo Xīng) was a talented writer, doctor, and poet from Singapore. He was born in Kuala Lumpur, which was then part of British Malaya, in July 1936. He studied medicine at University College Dublin in Ireland. After finishing his studies, he worked as a doctor in Singapore for 25 years.
Contents
A Creative Life: Writing and Arts
Goh Poh Seng's journey as a writer really began when he lived in Ireland. There, he met famous writers like Patrick Kavanagh and Brendan Behan. He started publishing his poems in the university magazine. He even took a year off from his medical studies just to focus on writing!
When he returned to Singapore, Dr. Goh played a big part in developing the arts. He helped guide important groups like the National Theatre Trust Board. He also worked to create cultural places such as the Singapore National Symphony and the Chinese Orchestra.
Goh Poh Seng was also a pioneer in entertainment. He opened Singapore's first theatre disco lounge, called Rainbow Lounge. He also started Bistro Toulouse-Lautrec, a place for live jazz music and poetry readings. In 1983, he even organized Singapore's first concert for the famous musician David Bowie. He had a vision for a more lively Singapore River back in the 1970s. This idea was later put into action many years later.
He also helped start a literary magazine called Tumasek. It was a magazine for writers and artists. He also co-founded Centre 65, which was Singapore's first arts center for many different art forms. This center aimed to support and promote the arts. Centre 65 later inspired the name of Centre 42, which is now a place for playwriting.
His Books and Plays
Goh Poh Seng wrote many important works. His first novel, If We Dream Too Long, came out in 1972. This book won an award in 1976 and has been translated into several languages, including Russian and Japanese. Even though some people criticized it at first, it sold very well. Many people consider it the first novel written in English by a Singaporean author. It has even been studied in universities.
He also wrote other novels like The Immolation (1977) and A Dance of Moths (1995). A Dance of Moths also won an award. His poetry collections include Eyewitness (1976) and Bird With One Wing (1982).
Goh Poh Seng was also a playwright. His play When the Smiles are Done (1972) was special because it was the first play to use Singlish (a local way of speaking in Singapore) on stage. His very first play, The Moon is Less Bright (1964), was performed again in 1990 and 2018. In 1982, Goh Poh Seng received the Cultural Medallion. This is a very important award given to people who have made great contributions to the arts in Singapore.
Life in Canada
In 1986, Goh Poh Seng moved to Canada. He returned to Singapore one last time in 2007 for the Singapore Writers Festival. A short film about him was also released that year. In 2009, he shared his plan to write a series of four novels based on his own life and family history.
Goh Poh Seng passed away on January 10, 2010, in Vancouver, Canada. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for some years. Playwright Robert Yeo honored him by saying that Goh Poh Seng believed in literature and in helping Singaporeans aim higher in their cultural lives.
His Legacy
After his death, Goh Poh Seng's son, Kagan Goh, wrote a book in 2012 called Who Let In The Sky?. It was a family story about his father's struggle with Parkinson's disease. In 2014, a collection of 110 books from Goh Poh Seng's own library was acquired by the University of British Columbia.
In 2015, his novel If We Dream Too Long was chosen as one of the top 10 English Singaporean books from 1965 to 2015. His play, When Smiles Are Done, was also recognized as one of the "finest plays in 50 years." Many people consider If We Dream Too Long to be the first true Singaporean novel. It is loved for its easy-to-read style and the author's clever insights.
Later in 2015, a collection of Goh's short stories was published. It was called Tall Tales and MisAdventures of a Young Westernized Oriental Gentleman. These stories were based on his adventures in Ireland in the 1950s. The book also included his thoughts on meeting famous Irish writers like Patrick Kavanagh and Samuel Beckett. This book is seen as a valuable addition to Singaporean literature.
In 2016, If We Dream Too Long was turned into an interactive dinner theater event. This means people could watch the play while having dinner!
Works by Goh Poh Seng
Poetry
- Eyewitness (1976)
- Lines from Batu Ferringhi (1978)
- Bird With One Wing (1982) ISBN: 9971835061
- The Girl from Ermita & Selected Poems (1998) ISBN: 0889711674
- As Though the Gods Love Us (2000) ISBN: 0889711712
Novels
- If We Dream Too Long (1972) ISBN: 997169445X
- The Immolation (1977) ISBN: 9810899351
- A Dance of Moths (1995) ISBN: 9810068662
- Dance With White Clouds: A Fable for Grown Ups (2001) ISBN: 9628783033
Plays
- The Moon Is Less Bright (1964)
- When Smiles Are Done (1966)
- The Elder Brother (1967)
Short Stories
- Tall Tales and MisAdventures of a Young Westernized Oriental Gentleman (2015) ISBN: 9789971696344
Essays
- ‘A Star-Lovely Art’ (2010)
Awards
- National Book Development Council Of Singapore Fiction Award, 1976
- National Book Development Council Of Singapore Fiction Award, 1996
- Cultural Medallion for Literature, 1982
