About the Programme/Event:
Join us for an evening down the memory lane as we explore the literary happenings in Singapore and further afield from the 1970s to the year 2000 as comprehended through the poetic, lyrical and trans-national memoirs of literary pioneers Jan Kemp (To See a World, Tranzlit, 2023) and Robert Yeo (Routes 2: A Singaporean Memoir 1976-2000).
Jan will be reading excerpts and poems from To See a World, a sequel to her first memoir Raiment. Hear about love affairs with the written word, the process of writing a memoir, how Singapore’s literary works and figures have inspired figures beyond the shores of our island nation, and the power of literature to bring people together.
Excerpts from Routes 2 will also be read during the session. To borrow the title, click here: https://catalogue.nlb.gov.sg/search/card?recordId=205971525
About the Speaker(s):
Aotearoa New Zealand-born Jan Kemp MNZM first wrote & performed her poems in the late 1960s/early 1970s and was the only woman in The Young NZ Poets (Heinemann, 1973). An Auckland University English Honours graduate, she has a Teaching Diploma and TEFL certificate. She lived and worked at universities overseas including PNG, Hong Kong & from 1985-1994 taught English at NUS, where she read with Singapore poets Goh Poh Seng (first met in KL in 1977), Edwin Thumboo & Robert Yeo, and where she recorded her first archive of poets visiting for the Aclals conference in 1986, before meeting her husband and settling in Germany in 1994. In 2005 she was awarded an MNZM for services to literature. She has published nine poetry collections, a memoir Raiment (Massey Press, 2022) and its sequel To see a World (Tranzlit, 2023). She sings in a choir in Kronberg im Taunus where she writes multi-media presentations including poems set to music performed by soloists, chamber choir and musicians.
Robert Yeo Cheng Chuan, 84, is a Singaporean author, poet and playwright who has made significant contributions to the Singapore literary and arts scene for nearly five decades. His artistic practice is deeply involved in reflecting the Singapore experience, especially the post-65 story. Yeo believes in practicing as many forms of writing as each has its own unique qualities. He has written in many genres, such as poetry, fiction, plays, essays, and librettos.
Yeo’s autobiography, Routes 1940-75: A Singaporean Memoir, was widely praised for its storytelling style. His second autobiography, Routes 2: A Singaporean Memory 1976-2000 was published in 2023.
