The Immolation

“This is an absorbing novel by a Singapore writer of note, set against a background which is bound to engage Southeast Asian writers for years to come: that of a war of foreign intervention and the guerilla counter movement…One rather hopes it will…haunt the many readers this book deserves to reach.”
—New Pacific Quarterly

“The re-publication of Goh’s novel is not merely an exercise in the celebration of Singapore’s literary heritage, as the novel has contemporary relevance in the wider postcolonial world as well.”
—Dr Ismail S. Talib

“A pioneering spirit who did much for the arts.”
—Dr Edwin Thumboo

“Someone who not only believed in literature, but also believed in lifting the cultural aspirations of Singaporeans.”
—Robert Yeo, author of The Adventures of Holden Heng

Goh Poh Seng, a playwright, novelist and poet, is regarded as a pioneer of Singaporen literature in English. A medical doctor by training, his first novel If We Dream Too Long is widely recognised as the first Singaporen novel, while his play When Smiles Are Done is one of the first instances of the use of Singlish in drama. Goh, who was born in 1936, has written five books of poetry. He founded the literary magazine Tumasek and formed Centre 65 to promote the arts. Goh also chaired the National Theatre Trust and was Vice-Chairman of the Arts Council from 1967 to 1973. Goh received the Cultural Medallion for Literature in 1982 and emigrated to Canada in 1986. He passed away in 2010, leaving behind his wife, Margaret, four sons and three grandchildren.