Kee Thuan Chye

A leading figure in the second phase of postcolonial, post-independent playwriting in English in Malaysia, Kee Thuan Chye was born on 25th May 1954 in Penang, Malaysia. After attending Francis Light School (Penang) and Penang Free School, Kee chose to become a traffic clerk with Malaysian Airlines. He handed in his notice after only two days because he found the job too sedate. Following this brief encounter with employment, he went instead to university, eventually obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Literature from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 1976. He was awarded a Gold Medal for topping his undergraduate Humanities class, but owing to financial hardship he could not enrol for a Master’s degree. To finance further study, Kee applied for a Tutorship in the department. His application was unsuccessful, Kee claims, because of “institutionalized racial discrimination” and “pro-bumiputera policy”.