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By Nureza Ahmad written on 2007-10-02
National Library Board Singapore

Su-chen Christine Lim (b. 1948, Malaysia -) is the first winner of the Singapore Literature Prize (Fiction) in 1992, for her novel, A Fistful of Colours. Lim, who has four novels to her name, is also the writer of short stories, children's stories, students' textbooks and a play. She was the International Writer-in-Residence at the University of Iowa, USA, in 2000. 

Early life

Born in Malaysia in 1948, Su-chen Christine Lim lived there till she was 15. A third generation descendant of Chinese immigrants in Malaysia, her grandparents came from Tangshan, China, and settled in Malaysia. She was schooled at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) in Penang and Kedah. In 1963, her family moved to Singapore where she continued her English education in CHIJ Katong, Singapore. 

Writings

Lim first started writing fiction when she was attending a literature honours course at the National University of Singapore. As a result, Ricebowl, her first novel, was published in 1984, with a theme that questions the regulated and pragmatic politics of Singapore in the '60s. Between this and her second novel, Lim co-penned a short play in 1986. Titled The Amah: A Portrait in Black and White, the play earned her the Merit Prize in the National University of Singapore - SHELL Short Play Competition. Lim wrote her second novel, Gift from the Gods, in 1990. 

Her third novel, A Fistful of Colours, received the distinction of being the first novel to be awarded the inaugural $10,000 Singapore Literature Prize (Fiction) in 1992. Her novel was described as outstanding by the panel of judges, comprising Edwin Thumboo, Filipino writer and publisher Francisco Sionil Jose and Australian writer Geoffrey Dutton. A Fistful of Colours, a fictional work about a woman's decision to allow her husband to have a concubine, incorporated and brought to life events in Singapore's early history. The historical events depicted in the novel include the rickshaw riots of 1900s, when politicised Chinese rickshaw pullers demonstrated against the Japanese invasion of China's Shantung peninsula, and the last gala ball held at Raffles Hotel prior to the Japanese Occupation.

Lim's personal ancestry had an influence in her literary works. The history of Chinese immigrants, for instance Chinese tin miners in Malaysia, had interested her since her teenage years. This is reflected in her fourth novel, A Bit of Earth, which is about the relationship between Chinese immigrants and the Malays in colonial Malaya.

Lim was awarded a Fulbright Foundation award to study at the International Writer's Programme, University of Iowa in 1996. She became the University of Iowa's International writer-in-residence in the spring of 2000. She has participated in creative writing workshops, writer's conferences and arts festivals locally and internationally.

In addition to being an acclaimed writer, Lim has also taught at Catholic Junior College, and contributes towards curriculum development at the Ministry of Education, Singapore. 

Education

CHIJ, Penang, Kedah and Singapore.

BA (Honours in English), University of Singapore.

Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics.

Literary honours

1999 : Judge, Commonwealth Literature Prize (Asia-Pacific Region).

2000 : International writer-in-Residence, University of Iowa.

2003 : Writer-in-Residence, University of Western Australia.

2003 : Mentor, writing workshops for NICA (Networking: an Initiative for Culture and the Arts) arts centre, Yangon, Myanmar.

Mar 2004 : Invited Author, SchoolFest: Victoria, University of Wellington, New Zealand International Arts Festival.

Jul 2004 : Participant, Citigroup Kuala Lumpur International Literary Festival.

Awards

1980 : Merit Prize, children's story, Ministry of Education, for Valley of Golden Showers.

1986 : Merit Prize, National University of Singapore- SHELL Short Play Competition, for The Amah: A Portrait in Black & White (with Ophelia Ooi).

1992 : Winner, Singapore Literature Prize, for Fistful of Colours.

1996 : Fulbright Award to attend International Writer's Programme, University of Iowa.

Works

Novels

1984 : Ricebowl.

1990 : Gift from the Gods.

1993 : Fistful of Colours.

2001 : A Bit of Earth

Short Stories

1998 : Bandong.  In Dipika, M., Singh, K., & M. A.Quayum (Eds.). (2002). The Merlion and the hibiscus: Contemporary short stories from Singapore and Malaysia. New Delhi: Penguin Books.

2000 : Two Brothers.  In Shaffer, T. (Ed.). (2002). Virtual lotus: Modern fiction of Southeast Asia. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
2000 : Clash of the Clans.  In World Literature Today, 74 (2). 
2002 : Tragedy of My Third Eye.  In Leong, L. G. (Ed.). (1998). More than half the sky: Creative writings by thirty Singaporean women. Singapore: Times Books International.
2003 : Christmas at Singapore Casket.  First published in The Straits Times on December 25, 2003.
2007 : The lies that build a marriage : Stories of the unsung, unsaid and uncelebrated in Singapore

Plays

1986 : The Amah: A Portrait in Black & White (with Ophelia Ooi). 

Others
2005 : Stories of the Chinese Overseas

Quotes

Writers "must write a wrong. Give the world our side of the story. Write the history that never got written". 

"I think I have something to contribute by just being myself - being an atypical Asian and also talking about Southeast Asian Chinese. We are very different from mainland Chinese or Chinese people from Taiwan, Hong Kong or Asian Americans." 

"..multiculturalism is empowerment".

 

Author

Nureza Ahmad

References

Lim, S. C. (1993). Fistful of colours. Singapore: EPB Publishers.

(Call no. : RSING S823 LIM) 

Lim, S. C.  (2001). A bit of earth. Singapore: Times Books International.

(Call no. : RSING S823 LIM) 

Cheong, S.W. (1999, September 14). What's write or wrong? The Straits Times.  Retrieved July 14, 2004, from Factiva database

Koh, B. S. (1993, May 8). Rich tapestry. The Straits Times, Life, p. 13. 

Koh, B. S. (1992, December 19). Ghosts, ghouls and writers. The Straits Times, Life, p. 10.

Koh, B. S. (1992, September 9). Lim's sweet irony. The Straits Times, p. L6.

Lim, S. C. (2003, October 11). Lipstick lessons. The Straits Times.   Retrieved July 14, 2004, from Factiva database

Yes, size does matter. (2000, June 22). The Straits Times.  Retrieved July 14, 2004, from Factiva database

University of Iowa. (2003). Singaporean writer returns as International Programs writer-in-residence. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from University of Iowa News Services Web site:  http://news.uiowa.edu/  (then click on News Releases > 2000 March > International Programs > March 13, Singapore Writer Returns as International Program Writer-In-Residence).

Yamada, T. S. (2001). Writers' profiles. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from http://members.freespeech.org/southeast-asian-literature (then click on Publications > Writers' Profiles)


Further Readings

Kwek, D. (2000, November 11). Book em. The Straits Times.  Retrieved July 14, 2004, from Factiva database.

Lai, A. (2003, June). Lim, Suchen Christine. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from http://www.litencyc.com (then click on People > L > Lim, Suchen Christine )

National Book Development Council of Singapore. (n.d.). Lim Suchen Christine. Retrieved October 26, 2007, from http://www.bookcouncil.sg (then click on Writers > Lim Suchen Christine).

New Zealand International Arts Festival. (n.d.). New Zealand post writers & readers week. Retrieved July 14, 2004, from http://www.nzfestival.telecom.co.nz

Su-chen Christine Lim. (n.d.).  Retrieved October 26, 2007, from National University of Singapore, University Scholars Progamme, The Postcolonial Web Web site: http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg (then click on Resources > Web Resources > The Postcolonial Web > Authors > Su-chen Christine Lim).



The information in this article is valid as at 2007 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the library for further reading materials on the topic.