An Uncle’s Legacy

What did I learn from Uncle Shah? ... To be proud of being a writer because when it is done well, it touches the lives of others. To be fearless when stepping into unfamiliar territory because you never know what you will find. To be stubborn and stand up for what you believe in because, at the end of the day, that’s what really matters.

Dzof Azmi pays tribute to his uncle, Shahriza Hussein, in Starmag today with a very moving piece.

I was never sure how much of the story in Legacy was fact, and how much fiction. Shahriza actually denied that it was his own family history being retold, when I asked him about it. But  Dzof says :

Legacy is based on what he had learned about our family, passed on through the generations. My grandfather (Uncle Shah’s father) had once told me that if it wasn’t for his grandfather being cheated of some inheritance, we would still be part of a royal lineage. The novel goes some way in explaining what could have happened.

I like the way that Shah asked Dzoh to write the screenplay. The novel would translate wonderfully to the big screen, so I do hope he takes up the challenge.