Singaporean scholar, literary critic, and poet writing in English. Thumboo has published four collections of poems. He has often been described as the unofficial poet laureate of the Republic of Singapore.

Nothing, nothing in my days
Foreshadowed this
Half-beast, half-fish,
This powerful creature of land and sea.
(from 'Ulysses by the Merlion', 1979)

Edwin Nadason Thumboo was born in Singapore. His father was a primary school teacher of Indian (Tamil) descent and mother of Chinese origin. Before English became Thumboo's main language, his mother tongue was Teochew. After graduating in 1957 from the University of Malaya, Thumboo worked until 1966 as a civil servant. He then entered the National University of Singapore, newly formed after the city-state gained independence, completing his doctoral thesis on African poetry in 1970. Nine years later Thumboo was appointed professor in the Department of English Language and Literature. Between 1980 and 1991 he served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. In 1995, Thumboo was appointed Professorial Fellow and in 1997 he became an Emeritus Professor. Thumboo has also been a visiting professor and fellow at universities in the United States, UK, and Australia.

Thumboo wrote his first poems in a period when poetry in English started to emerge. His acquaintances included the short story writer Goh Sin Tub, who ran a poetry circle for the magazine Youth, but the major influence on his work was Yeats. Thumboo's first collection of poetry, Rib of Earth, was privately published in 1956. A dissenter against British colonial rule, Thumboo wrote in 'Steel': "How can others know my tongue-fire / Agony deprived of action?" Concerning the role of English language is Singapore Thumboo has said: "Taking the language increasingly on our terms was and is a pre-condition for creative freedom. It was their language; now it is one of ours." (Singapore Writing in English, see: Articles & Papers by Edwin Thumboo)

Thumboo has also published nursery rhymes and edited several anthologies of poetry from Singapore and Malaysia. Thumboo's work has had an important influence on other poets. From his earlier love poetry and exploration of the inner word Thumboo has increasingly turned his attention to cross-cultural themes, social concerns, and the question of national identity. The title poem of Ulysses by the Merlion (1979), in which Homeric themes of wandering intertwine with the mythical icon for Singapore, has been put on a plaque at Merlion Park. In Gods Can Die (1977) Thumboo revised poems and republished sections he liked. Also in A Third Map (1993) Thumboo collected some of his earlier works.

Thumboo's many awards include National Book Development Council of Singapore Award for poetry (1978, 1980, 1994), the Southeast Asia Write Award (1979), the Cultural Medallion for Literature in Singapore (1980), the Asean Cultural and Communication Award (Literature) in 1987, Public Service Star (BBM) in 1981 and 1991, and the Raja Rao Award in 2002. Thumboo is married to Yeo Swee Ching; they have two children.

For further reading: Ariels: Departures & Returns: Essays for Edwin Thumboo, edited by Tong Chee Kiong et al. (2001); Responsibility & Commitment: The Poetry of Edwin Thumboo by Ee T. Hong and Leong L. Geok (1997); English in New Cultural Contexts: Reflections from Singapore, ed. by J. Foley et al. (1988) - For further information: Edwin Thumboo

Selected works:

• Rib of Earth, 1956
• ed.: The Flowering Tree: Selected Writings from Singapore/Malaysia, 1970
• Child's Delight: Book 1, 1972
• Child's Delight: Book 2, 1972
• ed.: Seven Poets: Singapore and Malaysia, 1973
• ed.: The Second Tongue, 1976
• Gods Can Die, 1977
• Ulysses by the Merlion, 1979
• ed.: Anthology of ASEAN Literatures, 1985
• ed.: Literature and Liberation: Five Essays from Southeast Asia, 1988
• ed. (with others): Words for the 25th Readings by Singapore Writers, 1990
• ed.: Perceiving Other Worlds, 1991
• ed.: Cultures in ASEAN and the 21st Century, 1993
• The Third Map: New and Selected Poems, 1993
• ed. (with Thiru Kandiah): The Writer as Historical Witness: Studies in Commonwealth Literature, 1995
• ed. (with others): Journeys: Words, Home, and Nation: Anthology of Singapore Poetry, 1984-1995, 1995
• ed.: The Three Circles of English, 2001