Joash Moo Zun Yong (b. 1965, Singapore -) is a novelist and poet and an award-winning artist, illustrator and screenwriter. Amongst Moo’s bestselling works is The Weird Diary of Walter Woo (1990), which won the 1st Prize at the Windows of the Mind Exhibition, part of the Singapore Arts Fringe. Moo has also produced works dealing with social issues and sexual identity. His book Sisterhood: The Untold Story, published in 1990, was the first local book to explore the transsexual phenomenon in Singapore whilst Nannu: Thoughts on the Sexes and Sexuality (1992), stirred up a fair amount of controversy over its depiction of sexual politics and sexual roles. Apart from writing, Moo is also involved in multimedia and art direction as well as producing educational resources.
Education
Moo’s primary education took place at Anglo-Chinese School from 1972 to 1977. From 1978 to 1981, Moo attended Raffles Institution before going on to Hwa Chong Junior College (1982-1983).
In 1984, he was awarded a government teaching scholarship, the Public Service Commission Scholarship, for his overseas education at England’s University of East Anglia. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1987.
During his undergraduate years, Moo was exposed to liberal topics that would go on to inspire many of his future works. His English Literature courses covered avant garde topics such as feminism, erotic literature, fantasy and horror.
Career
Before turning to writing as a full-time career, Moo handled an eclectic array of jobs both overseas and in Singapore. From 1984 to 1987, he held a string of odd-jobs; working as a street artist, construction worker, model, dancer and waiter. In 1987, he became a part-time tutor at the University of East Anglia.
Returning to Singapore in 1987 to complete his National Service, he tutored at Raffles Junior College for a year in 1989. Moo was subsequently released from his teaching bond after pleading unsuitability for the job. In 1990, he decided to become a full-time writer and artist.
Between 1990 and 1993, he penned The Weird Dairy of Walter Woo (1990), Sisterhood: The Untold Story (1990), Nannu: Thoughts on the Sexes and Sexuality (1992) and Sisterhood: New Moons in San Francisco (1993).
From 1994 to 1996, he worked as a scriptwriter with the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation on the television drama serial Masters of the Sea (1994 - 1995), and Growing Up (1996). In 1997, he was a finalist in the New York Film Festival’s Best TV Drama Category.
Since 1996, Moo has served as Multimedia Director and Educational Consultant at iT21. Besides working on local and international media projects, short animations and films, he has also been involved in producing educational multimedia resources for children covering subjects such as Art, Music and Science. In 1997, his multimedia series It’s Baby was released, followed by The Hmmms (1998) and Word Warriors (1999).
Moo’s Art and Music guides have also been well-received, introducing key concepts in innovative ways to motivate learning. Theory 1&2: The Fun Way to Music was released in 1991, followed by The Fun Way to Music: New Theory 1 in 1995 (both commissioned by Yamaha Music School) and the Art in Life guides for secondary school teachers and students in 2009 among others.
Besides art and multimedia direction, Moo also heads the English Drama Unit at the Television Corporation of Singapore and has taken part in various plays and art exhibitions.
Publications and literary themes
Moo’s interest in the absurd and the workings of the subconscious is evident in his first book, the horror-fantasy The Weird Diary of Walter Woo (1990). Written while he served National Service, the book centres on a series of bizarre events that befall Walter Woo, a sensitive overseas undergraduate-turned-reporter set in chaotic 1997 Singapore. Set against an atmosphere of fear and based on the author's experiences in the military barracks, the book uses the macabre to set up a dichotomy between anarchy and order within a satirical framework reinforced by illustrations and vivid imagery. Using composite characters with merged racial traits in a bid to challenge racial stereotypes and adding a host of ghostly apparitions and macabre incidents, Moo’s works are influenced by his favourite authors such as Lewis Carroll, Ray Bradbury, Bram Stoker and William Golding as well as subversive Japanese comics.
Inspired by William Blake’s mystic sketches, William Butler Yeats and the surrealist painter Salvador Dali, Moo also self-illustrated the book with black-and-white artwork. His pictures won him the first prize at the Windows of the Mind Art Exhibition (a Singapore Festival of Arts Fringe programme) in 1990.
In the same year, Moo’s bestseller Sisterhood: The Untold Story, was published, the first in local literary history to offer a detailed insight into transsexuality in Singapore. Based on 17 interviews of transsexuals and transvestites, whose diverse occupations ranged from models to fashion designers and choreographers among others, the book ignited some controversy with its depiction of an alternative lifestyle. Although it was criticised for stirring up sensationalism, the book gave a stark portrayal of dilemmas faced by transsexuals when negotiating sexual identity issues, mainstream society, sex-change operations and marriage. Its sensitive depiction of an oft-misunderstood segment of society proved to be a winning formula for readers as more than 15,000 copies of the book were sold.
In 1991, Moo designed Myths and Legends: Haw Par Villa Dragon World, an informative booklet detailing the history and folklore behind the Chinese mythological figures and legends in one of Singapore’s traditional cultural attractions.
In 1992, Moo once again pushed the boundaries of story-telling with Nannu: Thoughts on the Sexes and Sexuality, a collection of poetry, prose and illustrations focusing on sexual fantasies, sexual desire and a subversion of gender roles. Moo’s book sought to generate awareness of sexual politics and the innate patriarchal prejudices embedded in a conservative social structure but critics panned it for arousing unwarranted sensationalism.
Moo followed up his interest in the transsexual phenomenon with a subsequent novel Sisterhood: New Moons in San Francisco (1993). Set in San Francisco, the novel depicted a transsexual’s search for love and her romantic escapades.
Moo’s fascination with the absurd and the supernatural, the controversial and the radical, as well as social taboos and alternative sexuality is proof of a growing interest in a new direction in Singapore literature where writers are pushing the boundaries of conventional local literature. Infusing a heady mix of sensationalism and entertainment along with thought-provoking themes, Moo’s works are seen as experimental and original.
Works
1990 : The Weird Diary of Walter Woo
1990 : Sisterhood: The Untold Story
1991 : Myths and Legends: Haw Par Villa Dragon World
1991 : Theory 1& 2: The Fun Way to Music
1992 : Nannu: Thoughts on the Sexes and Sexuality
1993 : Sisterhood: New Moons in San Francisco
1995 : The Fun Way To Music: New Theory 1
2009 : Art in Life: Lower Secondary, Teacher’s Guide
2009 : Art In Life: Lower Secondary
2009 : Art Teacher’s Guide
2009 : Art: Primary 1
Awards
1982 : NUS Nationwide Essay Writing Competition, First Prize
1990 : Windows of the Mind Art Competition, Singapore Arts Fringe, First Prize
1992 : SBC Teleplay-Writing Competition, Finalist
1997 : New York Film Festival, Finalist (Best TV Drama Category)
1998 : The Singapore Story Competition, Merit Prize (Multimedia Category)
Author
Sheena Kumari Singh
References
Benson, E., & Conolly L. W. (Eds.). (2005). Encyclopedia of post-colonial literatures in English. (Vol.2, pp. 1036, 1146). London: Routledge.
(Call no.: R q820.900914 ENC v. 2)
Koh, B. S. (1990, October 20). Moo twists and turns. The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from NewspaperSG.
Koh, B. S. (1990, October 20). Surface treatment. The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from NewspaperSG.
Long, S. (1992, September 5). Contrived bombardment. The Straits Times, p. 20. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from NewspaperSG.
Moo, J. (1992, September 11). Moo on Nannu. The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from NewspaperSG.
Moo, J. (1990). The weird diary of Walter Woo. Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING C823 MOO)
Moo, J. (1992). Nannu: Thoughts on the sexes and sexuality. Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING S821 MOO)
Moo, J. (1993). Sisterhood: New moons in San Francisco. Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING C823 MOO)
National Book Development Council of Singapore.(n.d.). Joash Moo. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from
http://www.bookcouncil.sg/_writers/writers_m.php
Squalor and Horror. (1990, August 31). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved December 21, 2009, from NewspaperSG.
The information in this article is valid as at 2011 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
