On Saturday, July 8, it was announced that Adrian Tan, 57 had passed away after his battle with cancer.
Tan was an influential and celebrated lawyer and served as the president of the Law Society of Singapore.
He was very vocal and regularly shared his interesting thoughts and opinions on professional platform LinkedIn, where he describes himself as a “masked litigator, advocate for advocates, socially and emotionally distant law firm partner.”
Iconic Singapore literature
Writing was clearly a gift he had which is also why Tan will always be remembered for his literary work, specifically his iconic book: The Teenage Textbook.
First published in 1988, the book is a nostalgic story about JC (junior college) puppy love, horny teenagers, and plenty of Dad-joke humor (hey it was the 80s).
Though it is generally a lighthearted read, the book is a look at social status in Singapore where rich jocks sometimes get what they want and pretty popular girls get all the attention – but we’re all really rooting for the underdog, underwhelming as he is.
The Teenage Textbook is heralded as one of the top local books from Singapore.
Tan also wrote a sequel, The Teenage Workbook in 1989. More impressively, he wrote these books while still an undergraduate studying law in the National University of Singapore.
It has also been adapted for stage in 1997 by theater company The Necessary Stage and featured actors Hossan Leong and Mark Richmond.
Shortly after that in 1998, it was made into a film starring Melody Chen and Caleb Goh. The movie enjoyed four weeks as top film at the box office.
In 2021, Mediacorp rolled out a series which was a modern take and a loose adaptation of the original material by Tan.
In memory
Touching tributes poured in after news of his death. His firm TSMP Law described him as “a wonderful colleague, a nurturing mentor and a loyal friend.”
They added that he was also a mentor to countless young lawyers and his guidance and support helped shape the careers of many successful lawyers of the “next generation.”
“Adrian’s passing is a tremendous loss to the legal and wider community and to anyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
The legacy that he leaves behind is a testament to his unwavering dedication to the legal profession and his tireless commitment to promoting justice and fairness for all.”
Law and Home Affairs minister K Shanmugan also paid his respects and said that “Adrian was multi-talented, a true Renaissance Man.”
The team behind Singapore Writers Festival said a few words about Tan who was a regular speaker and panelist at the literary festival.
“With his remarkable gift for words, we remember him most fondly as an enigmatic speaker and fierce friend of the festival,” they said.
In their message, they also included a poignant quote from Tan who said, “My view is that the value of living is in our relationships. If we have people we care about, we carry on living for their sake.”
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