Coming in April

Giovanni Gaggino came to Singapore around 1874 and lived here for more than 40 years. During that time, he set up a successful business providing supplies to vessels passing through Singapore, he wrote an Italian-Malay dictionary and once owned the Pulau Bukom. Writer Alex Foo tells us about the life of Gaggino and his legacy.

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What Alex Talked About

About the Guest

Formerly a literary arts librarian at the National Library Board, Alex Foo has written for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Orientations and ArtsEquator.

Resources

Alex Foo, “From Liguria to the Lion City: The Life and Times of Giovanni Gaggino,” BiblioAsia 21, no.3 (October–December 2025).

Credits

This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music "Di Tanjong Katong" was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Alex for coming on the show.

About the Podcast

The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.

Transcript