The Italian Merchant and Lexicographer Who Once Owned Pulau Bukom

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.

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

What Alex Talked About

• 02:32 – About Giovanni Gaggino
• 03:57 – Why Gaggino came to Singapore in 1874
• 04:48 – The small Italian community in 19th-century Singapore
• 05:39 – What a ship chandlery is
• 07:18 – Acquiring and Monetising Pulau Bukom
• 08:21 – Gaggino’s other business ventures across Asia
• 09:18 – Writing a dictionary for trade
• 14:13 – Gaggino’s death and unfulfilled legacy
• 17:17 – How the story of Gaggino was reconstructed
• 22:16 – Libraries are…

Transcript and Resources

• Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-italian-merchant-lexicographer-who-once-owned-pulau-bukom/

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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.

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