// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Judith Mok? A reel good singer?
Judith Mok (1954 in Bergen, North Holland – 26 November 2024 in Dublin, Ireland) was a Dutch soprano, author and poet.[1] She moved to Ireland in her 40s and released novels and other works in English.[2] Her last book is loosely based on family facts, but with a great deal of fiction.
Early life and education
[edit]Judith Mok was born in 1954[3] in Bergen, North Holland, the daughter of Moses (later Maurits) Mok and Riemke Timmermans, who was not Jewish.[4] who met after World War II.[5] Her father was a writer, poet, and translator, and her mother was a housewife and a translator. Mok has an older half-sister who is Dutch and was a pre-adolescent when her grandparents were arrested during World War II.[4]
As a young child, Mok moved back and forth between Bergen and Southern France.[4] At age 14, she entered the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she was accepted into both the dance and music programs. She eventually studied under Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, a German-born opera soprano who had supported the Nazis and sang at Auschwitz concentration camp . At age 19, Mok published her first short story collection,[6] then graduated the following year.[7]
Career
[edit]Mok's career included singing soprano with the opera, as well as writing.[5]
She published her first poetry collection at age 19[6] and published two additional collections.[8] She also published three novels, as well as a memoir, The State of Dark, in which she discussed her family's history related to the Holocaust, including the fact that 163 of her family members were killed.[5][6][9][10] Some of her books were written in English and others in Dutch.
Mok began singing professionally when she was 21 years old.[11] She also provided voice coaching to singers.[5][7]
Personal life
[edit]Mok was married to a Frenchman for six months, ending shortly after Mok met poet and critic Michael O'Loughlin in Barcelona. Mok became pregnant with O'Loughlin's daughter, Saar; the couple married in 1988,[12] then moved to Ireland in 2002.[4][6]
She spoke six languages.
Publications
[edit]Anthology contributions
[edit]- O'Connor, Rebecca, ed. (2012). "Pirates". Scéalta: Short Stories by Irish Women. Telegram Books. ISBN 978-1-846-59159-4.[13]
Poetry
[edit]- Sterkwater (in Dutch). Holland: de Prom. 1985. ISBN 978-9-068-01037-4.
- Materiaal (in Dutch). Holland: de Prom. 1991. ISBN 978-9-068-01284-2.
- Het Feestmaal (in Dutch). Holland: Meulenhoff. 1997. ISBN 978-9-029-05564-2.
- Gods of Babel. Salmon Poetry. 2011. ISBN 978-1-907-05680-2.
Fictional Memoir
[edit]- The State of Dark. Dublin: The Lilliput Press. 2022. ISBN 978-1-843-51850-1.
Novels
[edit]- Argelozen in het Circus (in Dutch). Holland: Toth. 1992. ISBN 978-9-068-68040-9.
- De Beul (in Dutch). Meulenhoff. 2000. ISBN 978-9-029-05836-0.
- Gael. London: Saqi Books. 2006. ISBN 978-1-846-59193-8.
References
[edit]- ↑ Ní Churreáin, Annemarie (2 December 2024). "Judith Mok remembered: 'A true believer in the power of art'". RTÉ. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ↑ Siggins, Lorna (22 December 2024). "Obituary: Judith Mok, celebrated soprano, writer and vocal coach who worked with the likes of Grace Jones and Glen Hansard". Irish Independent. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ↑ "The state of dark / Judith Mok". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 Ríordáin, Clíona Ní (25 May 2023). "Interview with Judith Mok". Études Irlandaises. 48–1 (48–1): 103–109. doi:10.4000/etudesirlandaises.14941. ISSN 0183-973X.
- 1 2 3 4 McGuiggan, James Camien (4 January 2023). "So That They are Not Lost". The Journal of Music. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 Lee, Jenny (25 September 2023). "Dutch soprano and vocal coach to the stars Judith Mok recounts her family's Holocaust losses". The Irish News. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- 1 2 Smither, Tanis (11 May 2021). "Interview: Renowned vocal coach Judith Mok discusses Ireland's ever-growing pool of talent". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ Huber, Werner; Mayer, Sandra; Novak, Julia, eds. (2012). Ireland in, and Europe: cross-currents and exchanges. Irish studies in Europe. Trier: Wiss. Verl. Trier. ISBN 978-3-86821-421-5.
- ↑ Bolger, Dermot (15 October 2022). "The State of Dark: Powerful memoir gives voice to a family the Nazis tried to silence". Business Post. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ Dhuibhne, Éilís Ní (12 November 2022). "The State of Dark by Judith Mok: a memoir beyond the ordinary". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ↑ Angulo, Sergio (20 September 2012). "Judith Mok: Spanish is Great for Poetry". The Instituto Cervantes. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ Smith, Andrea (18 September 2011). "The never-ending love story". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ↑ Vaupel, Angela (2012). "Exile, Migration, and 'The Other' in Contemporary Irish Writing". In Huber, Werner; Mayer, Sandra; Novak, Julia (eds.). Ireland in, and Europe: cross-currents and exchanges. Irish studies in Europe. Trier: Wiss. Verl. Trier. pp. 161–172. ISBN 978-3-86821-421-5.
External links
[edit]- Jadot, Marie (27 November 2023). "Étrangeté et musicalité dans l'œuvre de Judith Mok". VI Convegno Internazionale di Letteratura e Psicanalisi. University of Liège. hdl:2268/311614.
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