Lee Tzu Pheng
Encyclopedia
Lee Tzu Pheng was born and educated in Singapore
. She has a Ph.D in English from the National University of Singapore
from where she has recently retired as a Senior Lecturer in its English Department. She has four volumes of poems to her name; of these, the first three, Prospects of a Drowning(1980), Against the Next Wave, (1988) and The Brink of An Amen(1991) were winners of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) Award. She is divorced from her ex-husband, Ban Kah Choon (who was once Head of English, National University of Singapore) and has one daughter, Jane Ban Li Hian. Aside from literary studies, her other interests include children's literature and church work.
, Lee is often seen as one of a generation of "nation-building" English writers in Singapore, whose work in the '50s-'70s questioned the identity of the newly independent nation. One of her early poems, "My Country, My People", was banned by the Singapore government due to fears that her reference to her "brown-skinned neighbours" would offend the Malay
community of Singapore. Another early poem, "Bukit Timah, Singapore" was at one point included in an international selection of poetry for O-level literature students. Later poems heavily reference her Catholic
faith.
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...
. She has a Ph.D in English from 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....
from where she has recently retired as a Senior Lecturer in its English Department. She has four volumes of poems to her name; of these, the first three, Prospects of a Drowning(1980), Against the Next Wave, (1988) and The Brink of An Amen(1991) were winners of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) Award. She is divorced from her ex-husband, Ban Kah Choon (who was once Head of English, National University of Singapore) and has one daughter, Jane Ban Li Hian. Aside from literary studies, her other interests include children's literature and church work.
Works
Like Edwin ThumbooEdwin Thumboo
Edwin Nadason Thumboo is an award-winning Singaporean poet and academic who is regarded as one of the pioneers of English literature in Singapore....
, Lee is often seen as one of a generation of "nation-building" English writers in Singapore, whose work in the '50s-'70s questioned the identity of the newly independent nation. One of her early poems, "My Country, My People", was banned by the Singapore government due to fears that her reference to her "brown-skinned neighbours" would offend the Malay
Malays in Singapore
Malays in Singapore are defined by the Singaporean government using the broader and antiquated "Malay race" concept, rather than modern-day Malay ethnic group. Although Malays have inhabited the area that is now Singapore since the 17th century, most of the Malays in Singapore today are immigrants...
community of Singapore. Another early poem, "Bukit Timah, Singapore" was at one point included in an international selection of poetry for O-level literature students. Later poems heavily reference her Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith.
Poetry collections
- Prospect of a Drowning (1980)
- Against the Next Wave (1988)
- The Brink of an Amen (1991)
- Lambada by Galilee & Other Surprises (1997)
Awards
- National Book Development Council Of Singapore Awards for her three books
- Singapore Cultural Medallion for Literature (1985)
- Southeast Asia WRITE award (1987)
- Gabriela Mistral Award (1996)