Theophilus Kwek

Left to themselves, the shapes of all green things 
begin to describe their own flourishing.

Each poem by Theophilus Kwek from Singapore is a story in itself. He writes about current social issues and calmly but consistently calls attention to the people who are often overlooked; such as refugees making the life-threatening crossing to Europe or healthcare workers at the time of the pandemic. In his four collections, enthusiastically received by The Guardian and others, these people are given depth and form. At the same time his poems confront you with the question of how much you actually care about these people and how much you should care about them. In addition to being a poet, Kwek is also a trained classical violinist, and he loves the area where genres meet. For example, he has written librettos at the invitation of the Royal Opera House; As an editorial board member of several literary magazines and blogs, Kwek has for years been drawing attention to the work of promising Southeast Asian writers and to multilingualism in Singapore. All this makes Kwek a writer with a big heart, a sharp pen and a reading to look forward to!