Edwin Thumboo

Edwin Nadason Thumboo (b. 1933) is a poet, academic, doyen of English literature in Singapore, and widely regarded as the unofficial poet laureate of Singapore. Born in Singapore to Tamil and Teochew parents, Thumboo attended Victoria School and then the University of Malaya, where he graduated in English in 1956. After graduation, he worked in the civil service for about nine years before joining the university, now renamed the University of Singapore, following Singapore’s independence. He received a Ph.D. in African Poetry from the university in 1970. Thumboo rose to the position of professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, heading the department between 1977 and 1993. After the merger of the University of Singapore and the Nanyang University in 1980 to form the National University of Singapore (NUS), he served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from 1980 to 1991, NUS’s longest-serving dean till then. Thumboo was the first Chairman and director of the university’s Centre for the Arts from 1993 to 2005 and continues to be associated with the university as an emeritus professor, a position he has held since retiring from full-time teaching in 1997.

Thumboo wrote his first poem, Kelong, during his Victoria School days, in 1949. At the University of Malaya, he served on the editorial board of Fajar, a magazine published by the University Socialist Club. He compiled and edited some of the earliest anthologies of English poetry and fiction from Singapore and Malaysia, and collections of his own poetry include Rib of Earth (1956), Ulysses by the Merlion (1979), and A Third Map (1993). His anthology A Gathering of Themes, published in 2018, was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize. Of special interest to Tamil readers is The Banyan, a collection of his poems translated into Tamil was edited by Chitra Sankaran. Thumboo is a much-honoured writer who has won the National Book Development Council of Singapore Book Award for Poetry three times (in 1978, 1980, and 1994) and several other literary awards, including the inaugural S.E.A. Write Award (1979), the first Cultural Medallion for Literature (1979), the ASEAN Cultural and Communication Award (Literature) (1987), and the Raja Rao Award (2002). He has also been recognised for his public service with the Public Service Star and Bar (in 1981 and 1991 respectively) and the Meritorious Service Medal (in 2006). Thumboo's contributions to literature were honoured with the Distinguished Arts and Social Sciences Alumnus Award by NUS in 2016. In 2019, the Edwin Thumboo Prize was established by NUS as an annual academic prize to recognise outstanding English literature works by pre-university students. In 2021, Nilanjana Sengupta published The Votive Pen: Writings on Edwin Thumboo, which chronicles the life history of the poet. His influence has spanned over five decades, shaping the landscape of English literature in Singapore. According to Singaporean poet and academic Kirpal Singh, "Edwin Thumboo is not only a poet, but a cultural icon."

For more information
Poetry.SG. “Edwin Thumboo (b.1933),” n.d. https://www.poetry.sg/edwin-thumboo-bio
NUS News. “NUS establishes new literary prize in honour of Singapore’s prominent poet Edwin Thumboo,” April 23, 2019. https://news.nus.edu.sg/nus-establishes-new-literary-prize-in-honour-of-singapores-prominent-poet-edwin-thumboo/
Ho, Olivia. “New Biography Maps the Many Worlds of Poet Edwin Thumboo.” The Straits Times, February 20, 2021. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/new-biography-maps-the-many-worlds-of-poet-edwin-thumboo
Esplanade. “Edwin Thumboo.” Esplanade Offstage, October 22, 2019. https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/edwin-thumboo

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 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. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.