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Kirpal Singh

Kirpal Singh (b. 1949, Singapore-), poet, literary and cultural critic, and university lecturer in English language and literature, has written and published three collections of poetry and edited many literary journals and books. He was a founding member of the Centre for Research in New Literatures, Flinders University, Australia in 1977, the first Asian director for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1993 and 1994, and chairman of the Singapore Writers' Festival in the 1990s. He is currently an Associate Professor with the Singapore Management University (SMU).

Early life
Kirpal Singh was born in Singapore in 1949 to a father of Sikh descent and a Jewish-Scottish mother. At the age of 6 months, he was brought to Johor, Malaysia, to be raised by his late paternal grandmother, who lived in a Batu Gajah village called Kampung Changkat. During his time with his grandmother, Singh led a care-free existence where he could wander wherever he liked in the village. When he was about six years old, his idyllic life was disrupted when his father's elder brother, Uncle Bill, brought him back to Singapore. His uncle had wanted him to have a Singapore education. His parents were divorced by then, and his mother had re-married in Scotland.

In Singapore, Singh lived in Jalan Eunos and was enrolled at Jalan Daud School. His first attempt at writing poetry was in 1958, when he wrote a poem about his primary two class teacher. He began to write poetry more consistently after 1965. Upon graduating with O-Levels, he wanted to join the army. However, Singh's school principal, Mr. Vaithinathan, intervened and persuaded Singh to continue his education. Singh was then admitted to Raffles Institution in 1967, where he studied Arts for his A-levels. While pursuing his A-levels, Singh published his first work in a book called Singapore Pot-pourri, a collection of poems, essays, plays and short stories by a group of local writers, which Singh put together.

After attaining his A-levels, Singh enrolled at the National University of Singapore (NUS) where he was taught by some of the early Singapore writers including Edwin Thumboo and Lee Tzu Pheng. While an undergraduate in 1972, Singh published his first anthology of poems called Articulations. He went on to graduate with an honours and masters in English Literature at NUS.

Singh counts Singapore writers such as Thumboo and Lee as significant to his literary growth. In addition, other Singapore writers who have influenced his thoughts and works include early local writers, Ee Tiang Hong, Wong Phui Nam and K.S. Maniam. Singh was also exposed to the writings of African, Caribbean, Indian and English writers during his university days.

Achievements
Singh is an internationally recognised scholar whose core research areas include post-colonial literature, Singapore and Southeast Asian, literature and technology, and creativity thinking. He has won research awards and grants from local and foreign universities. His research articles and critical writings have been published in international journals such as Ariel, Diogene, Commonwealth Novel In English, Literary Criterion, Quadrant, Southern Review and Westerly. He has written three books of poetry and edited over 15 publications, including the prestigious literary journal, World Literature Written in English. He has attended international writers' festivals in Adelaide, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Toronto and Kent, to give readings of his works. He had the distinction of being the first Asian director of the prestigious Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 1993 and 1994. In addition, Singh is a member of several international literary journals and associations. Currently, he is also involved in conceptualising and promoting creative thinking in Singapore's undergraduate education system, at the Singapore Management University (SMU). In 2004, Singh became the first Asian and non-American to be made a director on the American Creativity Association's (ACA) board.

Education
? : Jalan Daud School
1967 - 1968 : Raffles Institution
1973 : B.A. Hons (English), University of Singapore
1976 : M.A., University of Singapore
1977 : Enrolled for Ph.D. course at University of Adelaide, Australia, on a Public Service Commission scholarship
1980 : Ph.D., University of Adelaide

Career
1970 - 1973 : Teacher, Adult Education Board (AEB)
1973 - 1976 : Research scholar/lecturer, University of Singapore
1976 - 1978 : Colombo Plan scholar/part-time lecturer, University of Adelaide & South Australian Institute of Technology
1978 - 1980 : Instructor, NUS
1980 - 1984 : Lecturer, NUS
1985 - 1991 : Senior Lecturer, NUS
1991 - 1993 : Senior Lecturer/Head of Department, Nanyang Technology University (NTU)
1994 - 2000 : Associate Professor, NTU
2000 - : Associate Professor of Communication Skills & Creative Thinking, SMU

Achievements
1977 : Founding member, Centre for Research in New Literatures, Flinders University, Australia
1993 - 1994 : First Asian Director, Commonwealth Writers' Prize
1997 - 2000 : Member, School Advisory Committee; Advisor, National Arts Council; Chairman, Singapore Writers Festival; Advisor, Australian Studies Association
1997 : International Writer, International Writing Programme, University of Iowa
2000 - 2001 : Coordinator, Communication Skills Programme, SMU
2002 - 2002 : Founding director, Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies, SMU
2002 : Member, International Advisory Board, The Huxley Annual
2003 : Member, PSB Academy Board
2004 : Head of Singapore Chapter, East-West Centre Association
2004 : Director, American Creativity Association

Works
Poetry
1978 : Twenty Poems
1986 : Palm Readings: Poems
1998 : Cat Walking and the Games We Play

Non-fiction
2003 : Thinking Hats and Coloured Turbans: Creativity Across Cultures

Selected editorial works
1970 : Singapore Pot-pourri
1980 : The Stellar Guage: Essays on Science Fiction Writers, co-editor
1986 : Critical Engagements: Singapore Poems in Focus
1987 : The Writer's Sense of the Past
1998, 1999, 2000 : Interlogue: Studies in Singapore Literature, Volume 1-3
2000 : Rhythms: a Singaporean Millennial Anthology of Poetry
2002 : The Merlion and the hibiscus : contemporary short stories from Singapore and Malaysia

Family
Married with three daughters



Author
Nureza Ahmad



References
Klein, R. D.(Ed.) (2001). Interlogue: Studies in Singapore literature (vol.4, pp. 218-244). Singapore: Ethos Books.
(Call no.: SING 809.895957 INT)

Singh, K. (1998). Catwalking and the games we play. Singapore: Ethos Books.
(Call no. : SING S821 KIR)

Singh, K.(2004). Thinking hats and coloured turbans: Creativity across cultures. Singapore: Prentice Hall.
(Call no. : SING 153.35 SIN)

Kirpal is first Asian on US board. (2004, June 18). The Straits Times.

Koh, B. S. (1995, March 11). Asian academics take charge of literary journal. The Straits Times, Life, p. 9.

Ng, J. (2004, February 16). For 20 years, they studied and taught at same campus. The Straits Times.

Ong, S. F. (1999, April 10). Heres help to turn next page. The Straits Times, Life, p. 13.

Ong, S. F. (1999, July 24). Poets in four-way millennial collection. The Straits Times, Life, p. 13.

Take it away, and you take away life. (2000, August 23). The Straits Times.

Singapore Management University. (2001, May 30). Kirpal Singh. Retrieved July 27, 2004 from www.cdnet.edu.cn/mirror/singap_college/smu/www.smu.edu.sg/faculty/faculty/names/singh_kirpal.htm


Further Readings
The Postcolonial Web. (n.d.). Kirpal Singh. Retrieved July 27, 2004, from www.postcolonialweb.org/singapore/literature/poetry/singh/singhov.html

East West Centre. (n.d.). EWCA Chapters. Retrieved July 27, 2004, from www.eastwestcenter.org/alum-ch-detail.asp?chap_ID=28

The Asian Business Case Centre (2004). Thinking hats and coloured turbans. Retrieved July 27, 2004, from www.asiacase.com/hats.htm

School of Economics and Social Sciences, Singapore Management University. (n.d.). Kirpal Singh. Retrieved July 27, 2004 from www.sess.smu.edu.sg/faculty/humanities/kirpal_singh.htm 

The information in this article is valid as at 2004 and correct as far as we are able to 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.

Subject
Personalities>>Biographies>>Authors
Singh, Kirpal, 1949- --Biography
Authors, Singaporean--Biography
Poets--Biography
Language and literature>>Poetry

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