

I feel these things are so mobile and available wherever you may be.Stateless Citizens: Apathy as Defence Mechanism in Amanda Lee Koe’s Ministry of Moral Panic “Reading a good book is always restorative, as is discovering new music or looking back on old albums that I’ve enjoyed. She transcended herself to read this piece of modernist literary fiction with a non-linear structure just because her daughter wrote it and she wanted to be a part of her daughter’s artistic process.”Īn introvert at heart, she recharges by deep diving into the creative arts.

Lee Koe says: “I was really amazed by the miracles of a mother’s love. Her mother, who used to fall asleep while reading Grimm’s fairy tales and stories of Greek mythology to her as a child, lapped up Delayed Rays of a Star in a week. They were a constant presence at her various promotional activities here. What keeps her rooted to Singapore are her parents who have always been supportive of her artistic inclinations. “I think it is important for people to not mould themselves to the environment they are in or expect the environment to trigger a gigantic change – romance won’t come to you in Paris, nor will relaxation in Bali. These little acts of rebellion allowed her to feel free. (Related: Bestselling author Amanda Lee Koe reconstructs the lives of three Hollywood legends in her new novel)

In secondary school, I learnt to bandage my ankle convincingly and walk with a limp so I could wear a pair of stupid stripey sandals (instead of school shoes). Recalling her antics with a delighted cackle, she says: “In primary school, I was into Egyptian hieroglyphs, so I created my own symbols to spell my name. To give herself a “sense of agency”, the young Lee Koe would devise ways to express herself. She has spoken about her challenging adolescence in Singapore, where she “couldn’t seem to ever do anything right”. In a way, this maverick writer has always escaped into worlds of her own creation. 1 on Kinokuniya’s bestselling list for eight consecutive weeks. Besides garnering rave reviews in the media including NPR and Kirkus Reviews, the book was No.

The novel, which was published by American publisher Doubleday in July, was sparked by an Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph of film star Marlene Dietrich Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American starlet in Hollywood and Leni Riefenstahl, who is today infamous for directing Nazi films. Delayed Rays Of A Star was inspired by a picture of three young Hollywood actresses taken in 1928
