The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza by Cyril Wong

Previously in public relations and advertising, Adeline Foo has made a name for herself as a best-selling children’s book author. Adeline Foo Photo: Singapore Press Holdings/The Straits Times Related article: 6 Books By Local Female Authors To Read On International Women’s Dayģ. Thiam Chin has since published a second novel, Fox Fire Girl, in 2017, as well as a story collection, Signs of Life. It went on to win the Best Fiction title at the 2017 Singapore Book Awards. Set against the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, Now That It’s Over follows two couples who were vacationing in Phuket at the time, detailing the unravelling of both relationships through heartbreaking flashbacks and the aftermath of the disaster.

He received the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2012 and his first novel, Now That It’s Over, was the 2015 Epigram Books Fiction Prize, snagging a then-$20,000 cash prize from the local publisher which also published the novel.

The self-professed avid reader’s persistence paid off: Free-Falling Man, his debut story collection, published in 2006. However, his desire to tell stories endured, and he went on to dabble in film-making and poetry writing before he embarked on a series of short stories. Singaporean writer O Thiam Chin barely passed his O’Level English exams and was rejected on several occasions when he applied for writing jobs. O Thiam Chin Photo: Singapore Press Holdings/The Straits Times Talented and humble, we couldn’t ask for more.Ģ. In an interview with RCGNTN, the 2004 recipient of the Cultural Medallion Young Artist Award says he replies that he does “nothing” when asked by friends what he does for a living. Cyril, who is prolific on the literary festival circuit and has a doctoral degree in English literature from the National University of Singapore, also sings, edits, critiques and reads voraciously. His confessional-style poetry are known to be refreshingly candid, raw and emotional, often touching on love, family, loss, eroticism and other insightful observations. He has several published works under his belt, including poetry collections Unmarked Treasure, Satori Blues and The Dictator’s Eyebrow, short story collections Ten Things My Father Never Taught Me and Other Stories and Let Me Tell You Something About That Night and a novel The Last Lesson of Mrs De Souza. Cyril Wong Photo: Singapore Press Holdings/My PaperĪ two-time winner of the Singapore Literature Prize and the recipient of the 2005 National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award, Cyril Wong is considered one of Singapore biggest literary names and needs little introduction.

The Last Lesson of Mrs de Souza by Cyril Wong