Zalina Abdul Aziz, 57, better known as Ninot Aziz, is an award-winning writer, poet and full-time public relations consultant. She grew up in a household where stories of her ancestors were celebrated, inspiring her love for folk stories from an early age.

Although she has been writing all her life, it was the Mak Yong performance – a traditional form of dance-drama from Northern Malaysia – that she organised at the Royal Lake Club in 1996 that compelled her to write and publish folk stories.

“Since the crowd included foreigners, I translated and wrote a narrative of everything the dancers sang and talked about.

“The appreciation and feedback were so wonderful that I decided I would do this for life,” she told FMT, adding that the various arts and culture activities she helped organise early in her career was another source of inspiration.

According to her, she wanted to write Nusantara stories and legends in English so that they would be accessible to a wider audience. “I grew up reading fairy tales from around the world, and I feel that the Malay legends should be a part of these.”

The Hikayat Fandom book series is her latest project, a collection of 10 illustrated books that retell these legends.

Working with founder of Silverfish Books, Raman Krishnan, she has released four beautifully illustrated books from the series, namely: Lagenda Bidasari, Puteri Saadong, Seri Gumum, as well as Bentala Naga, which was inspired by the Mak Yong performance.

“These are stories that mean something and that have touched me in the past,” she said.

In fact, the current Mak Yong prima donna, Fatimah Abdullah, who performed at her book launch in September was a young girl during the Mak Yong event Zalina organised back in 1996.

“So, it’s not just coming full circle in terms of the story, but the people who were there at the beginning of my journey are now here at the launch – it’s amazing how these things work.”

Her stories have also been adapted into film.

An animated short film called Walinong Sari based on a story from her book, “Lipur Lara Nusantara” has been screened at international film festivals.

Meanwhile, a short film titled “Tun Fatimah: The Rebel Queen”, based on her book “Kirana: Dreams After the Rose” – is set to be released soon.

Her upcoming projects include a children’s version of these stories, as well as a compilation on tales about dragons, a collaboration with foreign writers.

Unsurprisingly, she is often asked where she finds the time to do everything. “Once I’ve decided upon something, I allow things to develop over time.

“The challenge is in obtaining the right resources, as well as finding the time and space to let the stories pan out on their own while remaining invested in them,” she explained.

Contrary to what some may think, the current generation has not lost touch with folklore as these stories are embedded in current video games and movies.

“But there is a danger of our own legends fading, as there’s not enough effort in retelling, rewriting and bringing them to the current audience,” she explained, adding that she hopes to translate her works into other languages so they can reach a wider audience.

“That was my mission from the very beginning: write for Malaysians, and bring the stories to the global stage so people know our stories.”

Advocating the reading of local legends and folktales, Zalina said these are the memories of ancient civilisations, and a means for people to get to understand each other better.

Many non-Malay parents buy her books for their children because they see the beauty in these stories, and the role it can play in uniting all Malaysians.

“If I want to appreciate the Chinese psyche, I read local Chinese legends as well as ones from China.

“I’ve also read and researched the Ramayana quite a bit,” she said, adding that folk stories from around the world allow one to learn about different cultures and languages.

She also said these stories inspire a sense of wonderment. “For example, in the animal world, there’s no good and bad.

“Things in the world may seem bleak, hence these stories are important to balance things out. They’re very old, they survived for a reason and usually what survives is what’s true.”

Purchase Zalina’s books from Pakka English or Hikayat Fandom’s Shopee page.