As she has become one of Singapore’s most acclaimed artists, she has seen her career progress from relative obscurity to global recognition – and winning this latest prize is sure to bolster that process even further.
Khir Johari’s meticulously illustrated book The Food of Singapore Malays was awarded the triennial Singapore History Prize – taking home its highest cash award and beating five other shortlisted titles to take home this prestigious literary accolade. It took 14 years and weighs 3.2 kg to write.
Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow at NUS Asia Research Institute and co-creator of Singapore 50 Prize, devised this prize. Established in 2014 in support of SG50, it recognizes any publication which contributes significantly to deepening understanding of Singapore history and identity. Mahbubani himself chairs its jury panel; according to him a “shared imagination” of history is essential in modern societies, with Singapore navigating significant changes both economically and globally over this 21st Century period.
Last night was an evening of firsts at the Singapore Literature Prize’s 27th awards ceremony, where two women emerged victorious in English fiction and Chinese literature categories. Marylyn Tan, for instance, made history when she won English poetry for the inaugural time with her unapologetic debut collection Gaze Back which addressed taboo topics like menstruation and sexuality head-on.
Akshita Nanda’s debut novel Nimita’s Place about mother-daughter relationships across India and Singapore won, along with Ng Yi-Sheng’s speculative short story collection Lion City. Epigram Books titles scored three wins – author Chia Joo Ming’s SG50-centric novel Kian Kok by Epigram Books won again while Wong Koi Tet’s dramatised oral histories Dakota Crescent and Black Panther won twice each in Chinese fiction categories.
An esteemed jury panel, chaired by Mr Mahbubani, will select and announce a winner towards the end of October 2024. Members include novelist Meira Chand, economist Lam San Ling, historian Peter Coclanis, and archaeologist John Miksic from NUS Department of Southeast Asian Studies.
The prize recognizes an outstanding publication written in English that contributes substantially to a deeper appreciation and understanding of Singapore history. Submissions can be written or translated, and cover any aspect, time period or field in Singaporean history; or incorporate its elements as part of an overarching narrative. Works of art featuring clear historical themes are also eligible. Kishore Mahbubani, Senior Advisor (University and Global Relations) at NUS, informed reporters of plans to broaden the prize’s scope in future to include films, comics and other forms of creative works like 12 Years A Slave as an example. For all the latest Singapore news follow ST on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Telegram!