Gwee Li Sui (Chinese: 魏俐瑞; pinyin: Wèi Lìruì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gūi Līsūi; Korean: 위리서; born 22 August 1970) is an acclaimed bestselling writer in Singapore.
[1] Gwee pursued his doctoral research on the period from the English Enlightenment to early German Romanticism at Queen Mary, University of London.
Myth of the Stone is part-children's story, part-fantasy, and part-allegory and follows a boy's adventures in a realm of mismatched mythical creatures.
Poet Cyril Wong calls it "shockingly tender, even heartbreaking" while theatre director Alvin Tan praises "[his] impeccable measurement of emotion, surprising use of words and relentless clarity of thought".
[8][9] Gwee returned to humour poetry with The Other Merlion and Friends in 2015 before releasing a dark, meditative collection titled Death Wish in 2017.
In 2015, he edited the massive, two-volume Singathology: 50 New Works by Celebrated Singaporean Writers, a commemoration of Singapore's golden jubilee.
In 2009, during the AWARE Saga, he wrote an influential Facebook note calling on fellow Christians not to support covert action.
[12] The AWARE saga was an event in Singapore's feminist, human rights, and LGBT history that involved the leadership of the Association of Women for Action and Research.
[13] Gwee objected to the imposing of any group's religious beliefs on a secular organisation and warned against its implications on Christian witness.
Gwee clarified, "All entries have an equal chance of consideration for winning, and we discussed it based on that point alone, and on the strengths of the collections.
[20][21] The statement charged that Gwee had "[made] light of the government’s efforts to promote the mastery of standard English by Singaporeans".
[22] On a lighter note, in 2020, days before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, Irish singer Ronan Keating made a misleading social media post about ships not docking in Singapore due to the coronavirus.
Gwee's comment "You say it best when you say nothing at all" – referencing words from Keating's hit song – went viral, creating a very humorous moment in the early days of the pandemic.