Look inside the book
A graphic memoir depicting one Peranakan’s humorous and poignant stories about her multigenerational family in Singapore.
Horatio Archibald Marmaduke: What My Father Wanted to Name Me is Pauline Gan’s tribute to her parents who grew up in pre-independence Singapore. Broken into vignettes, this personal journey (illustrated by award-winning artist Anngee Neo) takes us back to a time when boys were favoured for higher education and families huddled in their homes during the Japanese Occupation.
“Horatio Archibald Marmaduke charms as an unclouded peek into the quaint era of Pauline Gan’s youth. All her memories penned here and brightened by the art of Anngee Neo present a warm tribute to parents, family, and fleeting things.”
—Gwee Li Sui, Poet, artist, critic
“Cherita rumah tangga (household tales) lies at the heart of Peranakan culture, reflecting the vibrant lives of extended families that have flourished in Malaya for generations. In Horatio Archibald Marmaduke: What My Father Wanted to Name Me, Pauline Gan captures glimpses of that world—presented in a light and entertaining manner. Its importance is often understated, yet it documents a fast-disappearing way of life—the Peranakan past glory, the war years, Singapore’s developing stages... Beyond its ludicrous pantang larang (superstitions), many pearls of wisdom can also be found. A lazy afternoon spent reading it also acquaints us with the personal and living archives of Singapore.”
—Dr David Neo, Senior Lecturer, College of Creative Arts, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Pauline Gan is a Peranakan who has called Singapore home almost all her life. She was educated in Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom. She has worked as a systems analyst/programmer in a statutory board, a research officer in Singapore’s Ministry of Defence and an HR executive in a major multinational company. She is now retired and has taken on the role of Flying Granny to her grandchildren currently living overseas. When home in Singapore, she grows vegetables in her garden, bakes and plans fun trips to unusual places in keeping with the spirit of adventure passed down from her father.
Anngee Neo is a Singapore-based artist who emphasises storytelling with compelling characters. Her quirky, surreal and whimsical works have breathed life into children’s books such as The Rock and the Bird by Chew Chia Shao Wei, The Crane and the Crab by S. R. Nathan and Who is Cheong Soo Pieng? by Ho Lee-Ling. She has provided illustrations for campaigns and books for clients such as National Gallery Singapore, National Museum of Singapore and Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay.
