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Prof. Mohammad A. Quayum:
Let me begin by asking you a question that I believe you have asked
yourself many times, "Why, Suchen, why write?" Why do you write? Why
and how is writing important to you?
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Suchen Christine Lim:
I have often asked myself that question. To begin with: I did not
set out to be a writer. As a child, I wanted to sell chicken porridge.
As a teenager in the late sixties, I was a romantic. I dreamt of making
revolutionary changes for a better, kinder Singapore. I was with a band
of students, led by a Catholic nun. We were out to change Singapore. In
the sixties and seventies, Singapore was a hard piece of rock without a
heart. Economic survival and a utilitarian philosophy formed the basis
of major national policy decisions. And we are still living with that
legacy.
I was a failed revolutionary who became a teacher who became a writer.
There you are. The sentence sums up my life. And reduces it. My life is
richer and far more complicated. Where is my life as lover, daughter,
wife or mother? I write because writing keeps me sane and out of
trouble. Sometimes I despair because the world is full of pain and
violence. Writing gives me the illusion I am doing something worthwhile
and non-violent.
- in Peninsular Muse, Mohammad A Quayum (ed) |
From Suchen