A riveting look at the fiercely original, intellectually brilliant mind of Singapore’s unofficial poet-laureate, Edwin Thumboo. He is brusquely vocal about poetry with a purpose and yet appears a hopeless romantic in his poems about his wife. What happens when a mind which is such a melting pot of brilliant ideas and contrary emotions tries to unscramble the identity of a country like Singapore which is known for a fierce economic growth that has often elbowed aside everything else? The Votive Pen sees Edwin Thumboo’s poetry without the static of earlier critical writing and with an intense alertness.