Judith Mok (born 1958 in Bergen, North Holland) was a Dutch soprano, author and poet. She lived in Ireland and has released novels and other works in English. She sadly passed away surrounded by her loving family on Monday 25th of November 2024.

Early life and education

Judith Mok was born in 1958 in Bergen, North Holland, the daughter of Holocaust survivors Moses (later Maurits) Mok and Riemke Timmermans, who met after World War II. Her father was a writer, poet, and translator, and her mother was a newspaper columnist and singer. Mok has an older half-sister who is Dutch and was a pre-adolescent when her grandparents were arrested during World War II. As a young child, Mok moved back and forth between Bergan and Southern France. 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 while Mok's grandparents were there. At age 19, Mok published her first short story collection, then graduated the following year.

Career

Mok's career has included singing soprano with the opera, as well as writing. She published her first poetry collection at age 19 and has since published additional collections. She has also published three novels, as well as a memoir, The State of Dark, in which she discusses her family's history related to the Holocaust, including the fact that 163 of her family members were killed. Some of her books are written in English and others in Dutch. Mok began singing professionally when she was 21 years old. As of 2021, she also provides voice coaching to singers.

Personal life

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, then moved to Ireland in 2002. She speaks six languages.

Publications

Anthology contributions

Poetry

Memoir

Novels