birth_place awards nationality notableworks portaldisp birth_date genre article_title name occupation
ipoh , malaysia '' nus-shell short play competition '' ' 1992 : '' ' ' inaugural singapore literature prize '' ' 2012 '' ' : 1986 s.e.a. write award : '' ' merit prize , singapore '' the lies that build a marriage : stories of the fistful unsung , unsaid and uncelebrated in singapore '' -lrb- 2007 of -rrb- colours '' -lrb- 1992 -rrb- '' yes 1948 fiction suchen christine lim
 suchen christine lim author
suchen christine lim

suchen christine lim -lrb- born 1948 -rrb- was born in ipoh , malaysia and had her early education at the convent of the holy infant jesus -lrb- chij -rrb- in penang and kedah .
at the age of 14 she came to singapore , and continued her education at chij katong .
she read literature at the national university of singapore , and graduated with a post-graduate diploma in applied linguistics .
after her graduation , lim joined the ministry of education as a curriculum specialist , and devoted her time between family , work and writing throughout her years with the ministry .
her first novel `` rice bowl '' was published in 1984 , and she co-wrote the award-winning short play `` the amah : a portrait in black and white '' in 1986 .
her second novel `` gift from the gods '' -lrb- 1990 -rrb- was nominated for a national book development council award in 1992 .
in that same year , lim won the inaugural singapore literature prize for her third novel `` fistful of colours '' -lrb- 1992 -rrb- .
`` a bit of earth '' -lrb- 2000 -rrb- was nominated for the singapore literature prize in 2004 .
in 1996 she was given a fulbright grant to attend the prestigious iowa writers ' workshop , and returned to the university as writer-in-residence in 2000 .
this residency honour was also extended to her at the university of western australia in perth , the moniack mhor writers ' centre in the scottish highlands and ateneo de manila university in the philippines .
lim retired from the ministry of education in august 2003 , to devote her time to writing .
that devotion subsequently bore fruit in the novels published as `` hua song : stories of the chinese diaspora '' -lrb- 2005 -rrb- and `` the lies that build a marriage : stories of the unsung , unsaid and uncelebrated in singapore '' -lrb- 2007 -rrb- .
in 2015 , `` the straits times '' ' akshita nanda selected `` fistful of colours '' as one of 10 classic singapore novels .
she wrote , `` the gorgeously detailed `` a fistful of colours '' by suchen christine lim covers art and women 's fight for equal rights over 80 years of singapore history .
the winner of the first singapore literature prize in 1992 , it is a fist to the gut with its relentless portrayal of female struggles for power in a patriarchal society that strips women of any right to their sexuality or dignity . ''
