Gwee Li Sui
Encyclopedia
Gwee Li Sui is a literary critic, a poet, and a graphic artist from Singapore
.
, Anglo-Chinese Junior College
, and the National University of Singapore
. He graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in English literature in 1995 and was awarded the NUS Society Gold Medal for Best Student in English. His Honours thesis was on Günter Grass
's novel, The Tin Drum
(German: Die Blechtrommel). After completing his Masters under a research scholarship on another German writer Hermann Broch
, he worked as a Senior Tutor at the NUS Department of English Language and Literature. In 1999, he was awarded an overseas scholarship to pursue his doctorate in eighteenth-century literature at Queen Mary, University of London
. Gwee wrote his doctoral thesis on the discursive influence of Newtonianism
on poetry from the English Enlightenment to early German Romanticism
.
Returning to lecture at NUS in 2003, Gwee worked as an Assistant Professor in English literature until 2009. During this time, he was a long-standing staff advisor to the NUS Literary Society, which has traditionally groomed some of Singapore's best writers. Academic topics Gwee has written on are vast: the Reformation, the Enlightenment, Romanticism
, German idealism
, history of science
, Christian theology
, German literature
, and literary theory
. In the area of Singaporean literature, he has contributed radical articles on its poetic history up to the present and consistently challenged the standard assumptions made about literary productions in Singapore. In 2010, he was invited to be a foreign writer/critic-in-residence at the Toji Cultural Centre in South Korea.
, Myth of the Stone, published in 1993. This out-of-print book
is part-children's story and part-allegory and follows a boy's adventures in a fantastical realm of mismatched mythical creatures. He then produced a well-received volume of humorous verse, Who Wants to Buy a Book of Poems?, which was full of linguistic play, Singlish
rhymes, and jabs at social history and culture, in 1998. His poetry is known for its versatility, engaging a wide range of styles and moods, and is featured in several anthologies and literary journals. He has been contributing drawings and comics to a wide range of publications.
Gwee is also the editor of one of two seminal critical volumes on Singaporean and Malaysian literature in English under the title Sharing Borders: Studies in Contemporary Singaporean-Malaysian Literature (2009). In his introduction, he exposes the problems of ideology that continue to plague the new literatures of Singapore and Malaysia ironically in the name of postcolonial studies. He is one of the editors for a bilingual collection of 100 Singaporean and Malaysian poems, From the Window of the Epoch, published in 2010. He recently edited Telltale: Eleven Stories (2010), which features short stories by six Singaporean writers born after Singapore Independence in 1965, and Man/Born/Free: Writings on the Human Spirit from Singapore (2011). The latter was launched in Cape Town, South Africa.
Gwee has been on the evaluation panel for a number of top literary awards in Singapore, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. He edits for an online poetry journal, Softblow, and an Asian commentary website, New Asia Republic. Since 2008, he also hosts a few ongoing series of public interviews with Singaporean writers, publishers, and artists, held at an independent bookstore
, BooksActually. He is regularly sought for his opinions on literature, language, and religion in Singapore.
(AWARE), Gwee wrote a notorious Facebook note in his capacity as a Christian. "Christians Against AWARE Takeover!”, and its follow-ups, called on Christians to reject such action in spite of their own religious affiliation and appealed to the Christian women to step down. The essays quickly went viral on the internet and became a focal point of much contention. By the time the scandal was over, the original note alone collected over 1,000 supporters. The AWARE leadership was voted out at its extraordinary general meeting by a margin of 1,414 to 761.
Poetry Book
Monograph
Edited Volumes
Essays
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Biography
Gwee began education at the now-defunct MacRitchie Primary School and then continued at Anglo-Chinese Secondary SchoolAnglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...
, Anglo-Chinese Junior College
Anglo-Chinese Junior College
Anglo-Chinese Junior College in Singapore opened in 1977 and is the junior college arm of the Anglo-Chinese School family of Methodist schools. ACJC offers the standard two-year pre-university programme, with students taking the GCE 'A' Levels in their second year...
, and the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
. He graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in English literature in 1995 and was awarded the NUS Society Gold Medal for Best Student in English. His Honours thesis was on Günter Grass
Günter Grass
Günter Wilhelm Grass is a Nobel Prize-winning German author, poet, playwright, sculptor and artist.He was born in the Free City of Danzig...
's novel, The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum
The Tin Drum is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's .- Plot summary :The story revolves around the life of Oskar Matzerath, as narrated by himself when confined in a mental hospital during the years 1952-1954...
(German: Die Blechtrommel). After completing his Masters under a research scholarship on another German writer Hermann Broch
Hermann Broch
Hermann Broch was a 20th century Austrian writer, considered one of the major Modernists.-Life:Broch was born in Vienna to a prosperous Jewish family and worked for some time in his family's factory, though he maintained his literary interests privately...
, he worked as a Senior Tutor at the NUS Department of English Language and Literature. In 1999, he was awarded an overseas scholarship to pursue his doctorate in eighteenth-century literature at Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. Gwee wrote his doctoral thesis on the discursive influence of Newtonianism
Newtonianism
Newtonianism is a doctrine that involves following the principles and using the methods of natural philosopher Isaac Newton. While Newton's influential contributions were primarily in physics and mathematics, his broad conception of the universe as being governed by rational and understandable laws...
on poetry from the English Enlightenment to early German Romanticism
German Romanticism
For the general context, see Romanticism.In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. German Romanticism developed relatively late compared to its English counterpart, coinciding in its...
.
Returning to lecture at NUS in 2003, Gwee worked as an Assistant Professor in English literature until 2009. During this time, he was a long-standing staff advisor to the NUS Literary Society, which has traditionally groomed some of Singapore's best writers. Academic topics Gwee has written on are vast: the Reformation, the Enlightenment, Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
, German idealism
German idealism
German idealism was a philosophical movement that emerged in Germany in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It developed out of the work of Immanuel Kant in the 1780s and 1790s, and was closely linked both with romanticism and the revolutionary politics of the Enlightenment...
, history of science
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, Christian theology
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, German literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
, and literary theory
Literary theory
Literary theory in a strict sense is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for analyzing literature. However, literary scholarship since the 19th century often includes—in addition to, or even instead of literary theory in the strict sense—considerations of...
. In the area of Singaporean literature, he has contributed radical articles on its poetic history up to the present and consistently challenged the standard assumptions made about literary productions in Singapore. In 2010, he was invited to be a foreign writer/critic-in-residence at the Toji Cultural Centre in South Korea.
Works
Gwee wrote what was arguably Singapore’s first full-length graphic novelGraphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, Myth of the Stone, published in 1993. This out-of-print book
Out-of-print book
An out-of-print book is a book that is no longer being published. Out-of-print books are often rare, and may be difficult to acquire.A publisher will usually create a print run of a fixed number of copies of a new book. These books can be ordered in bulk by booksellers, and when all the...
is part-children's story and part-allegory and follows a boy's adventures in a fantastical realm of mismatched mythical creatures. He then produced a well-received volume of humorous verse, Who Wants to Buy a Book of Poems?, which was full of linguistic play, Singlish
Singlish
Colloquial Singaporean English, also known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore.Singlish is commonly regarded with low prestige in Singapore. The Singaporean government and many Singaporeans alike heavily discourage the use of Singlish in favour of Standard English...
rhymes, and jabs at social history and culture, in 1998. His poetry is known for its versatility, engaging a wide range of styles and moods, and is featured in several anthologies and literary journals. He has been contributing drawings and comics to a wide range of publications.
Gwee is also the editor of one of two seminal critical volumes on Singaporean and Malaysian literature in English under the title Sharing Borders: Studies in Contemporary Singaporean-Malaysian Literature (2009). In his introduction, he exposes the problems of ideology that continue to plague the new literatures of Singapore and Malaysia ironically in the name of postcolonial studies. He is one of the editors for a bilingual collection of 100 Singaporean and Malaysian poems, From the Window of the Epoch, published in 2010. He recently edited Telltale: Eleven Stories (2010), which features short stories by six Singaporean writers born after Singapore Independence in 1965, and Man/Born/Free: Writings on the Human Spirit from Singapore (2011). The latter was launched in Cape Town, South Africa.
Gwee has been on the evaluation panel for a number of top literary awards in Singapore, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. He edits for an online poetry journal, Softblow, and an Asian commentary website, New Asia Republic. Since 2008, he also hosts a few ongoing series of public interviews with Singaporean writers, publishers, and artists, held at an independent bookstore
Independent bookstore
An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...
, BooksActually. He is regularly sought for his opinions on literature, language, and religion in Singapore.
Controversy
In 2009, following a national controversy where some Christian women seized control over the secular Association of Women for Action and ResearchAssociation of Women for Action and Research
Association of Women for Action and Research is a non-governmental organization in Singapore concerned with promoting gender equality. The group was officially formed on November 25, 1985...
(AWARE), Gwee wrote a notorious Facebook note in his capacity as a Christian. "Christians Against AWARE Takeover!”, and its follow-ups, called on Christians to reject such action in spite of their own religious affiliation and appealed to the Christian women to step down. The essays quickly went viral on the internet and became a focal point of much contention. By the time the scandal was over, the original note alone collected over 1,000 supporters. The AWARE leadership was voted out at its extraordinary general meeting by a margin of 1,414 to 761.
Select Bibliography
Graphic Novel- Myth of the Stone (East Asia Book Services, 1993) ISBN 9789810048372
Poetry Book
- Who Wants to Buy a Book of Poems? (Landmark Books, 1998) ISBN 9813065192
Monograph
- Mein Kampf Re-Examined (NUS Department of English Language and Literature, 1996) ISBN 9789810081461
Edited Volumes
- Sharing Borders: Studies in Contemporary Singaporean-Malaysian Literature II (National Library Board and National Arts Council of Singapore, 2009) ISBN 9789810839123 (hbk), 9789810839130 (pbk)
- From the Window of the Epoch: An Anthology of Malaysian and Singaporean Poems, edited with Shamsudin Othman, Mohamed Pitchay Gani bin Mohamed Abdul Aziz, Tan Chee Lay, and Seetha Lakshmi (National Institute of Translation of Malaysia and National Arts Council of Singapore, 2010) ISBN 9789830684802
- Telltale: Eleven Stories (Ethos Books, 2010) ISBN 9789810861520
- Man/Born/Free: Writings on the Human Spirit from Singapore (Ethos Books, 2011) ISBN 9789810882778
Essays
- "Poetry and the Renaissance Machine in Singapore," Harvard Asia Quarterly, Vol. 9.1-2 (2005).
- "Boey Kim Cheng’s Singapore," Dialogue, Vol. 2.2 (2006).
- "The Road People: Poetry and Urban (Im)Mobility in Singapore," Asiatic, Vol. 2.2 (2008).
- "The Art of Not Learning: Two Versions," CDTL Brief, Vol. 11.1 (2008).
- "TOC Perspectives: Views on AWARE," The Online Citizen, 1 May 2009.
- "When is a Family Not a Family?," The Online Citizen, 5 December 2009.
- "Christian to Christian: Collective Repentance," New Asia Republic, 27 February 2010.
- "Speak Up or Be Spoken For!," New Asia Republic, 5 May 2010.
External links
- Gweek Culture: World of Terrifying Secret Opinions
- GweekSpeak
- Singapore Infopedia - Gwee Li Sui
- National Book Development Council of Singapore - Gwee Li Sui
- Postcolonial Web: Singaporean Literature - Gwee Li Sui: An Overview
- Mascara Review - Gwee Li Sui
- Softblow - Gwee Li Sui
- Quarterly Literary Review Singapore - Gwee Li Sui
- Singapore Comics Wiki - Gwee Li Sui
- Kent Ridge Common - Upfront with Gwee Li Sui
- Verbosity - "Excue me, I'm tue kiasue to queue in this haiku"