5 January 2009

SHOWCASE: Johann S Lee

Johann S Lee is the author of Singapore's first gay novel, Peculiar Chris (1992) - a seminal work which has since been translated into Italian, and successfully adapted into a play (Happy Endings – Asian Boys Volume 3) by Alfian Sa'at. His second novel, To Know Where I'm Coming (2007), was rated 5 out of 6 stars by Time Out. The concluding part of his queer triptych, Quiet Time (2008), has been described as "a remarkable book" (The Sunday Times), "a must-read" (Trevvy.com) and "Singapore's best gay novel ever" (Fridae.com).

About Quiet Time: In 2007, as he tumbles rapidly into his late thirties, Kuang Ming is starting to feel his diminishing relevance in Singapore's youth-obsessed gay circles, even as his conservative country faces the possibility of a historic change in the rules of queer existence. A long-term relationship in jeopardy... A family in conflict... And a nation in transition? Kuang Ming cannot have foreseen how his life will change forever.

"Passionate and unflinching in his portrayal of the self-contradictions and inexorable conflicts which remain part and parcel of being gay in Singapore, Johann S Lee has created a wonderfully realistic, prescient and moving book that threatens to bat his previous works (and many past Singaporean novels) off the shelf of living memory. " - Cyril Wong, poet and recipient of the 2006 Singapore Literature Prize

"Johann S Lee, who daringly became the forbearer of Singapore gay literature in the uncertain early 90s with his searching themes, now reassuringly takes on the mantle of its godfather in an equally unquiet time when his characters discover that paternalism could be a source of not just conflict and contagion, but penetrating commonality." - Daren Shiau, author and recipient of the 2002 National Arts Council's Young Artist Award

Name: Johann S Lee
Location: London, UK
Website: http://www.facebook.com/people/Johann-S-Lee/577697459
Contact: click here