The man, the poet
ON social media, tributes to Wong Phui Nam have come from the literary community and beyond.
“We lost a poet who has been contributing to Malaysian poetry in English since the 1950s. Wong Phui Nam received accolades and international recognition for his fine poetry throughout his long poetic life. Phui Nam in recent years was actively involved with young Malaysian poets. He was a judge for a national poetry competition in 2021. He took time to write advice to young Malaysian poets and he even met them and encouraged them to write poetry. He was deeply concerned for Malaysian poetry in English and wanted to see it develop with new young voices with fresh ideas,” said Malachi Edwin Vethamani, a poet-writer friend who worked closely with Wong in recent years.
“Only a few weeks ago, Wong Phui Nam and I completed our recording of all his poems from How The Hills Are Distant in 1968 to The Hidden Papyrus of Hen-taui in 2019. We spent many evenings together talking about death, poetry, and supporting young poets. He was a passionate man and a voracious writer. An outspoken literary critic and a humble reader,” said Brandon Liew, poet and doctoral researcher at the University of Melbourne.
“In the last month, I have had the privilege of showcasing his voice at my exhibition, A Wasteland Of Malaysian Poetry In English. I saw first-hand the eager joy of young poets listening to and discovering his work. So many asked me for his books and I was always disappointed that I had none left to give. For a brief moment in time, Wong Phui Nam was my friend and confidant, support and inspiration. To us, he is the image of a Malaysian poet and the under-appreciated vanguard of our time. How fortunate we are, to have his legacy as our tradition,” he added.
“It may suffice to say that he was a true original in Malaysian English poetry, and his brilliance was unmatched. Yet he was always still humble and seeking to learn, never satisfied with his writing and understanding of poetics,” wrote Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Singaporean poet and critic.
“One fond memory I have of him is the two of us eating durians by the roadside in Geylang in Singapore, when he visited some years back. He was living nearby, at a relative’s place, and as we were walking around he suddenly asked, ‘Do you like durians? There’s a stall nearby.’ As we devoured the durians there was a look of pure joy on his face – the oddness of our friendship, between two people born 55 years apart, struck me. Our shared love of poetry and writing (and durians!) somehow erased these distinctions. I am deeply glad to have been his friend, and to have met him just before the end. Rest in peace, Mr Wong. You live on in your work,” he added.