He was willing to sacrifice greater commercial success for this principle, but I am pleased to report that the stories in here, all previously published in places like Mingguan Malaysia and Dewan Sastera, aren’t hectoring lessons in political correctness. I don’t mind hectoring, but this writer’s particular gifts lie in his narrative skill and playful deconstructions of the story form. He easily ranks among the finest writers in this country because his seriousness of purpose is wedded to an admirable lightness of touch. He has fun with the stories, and the fun is infectious..
He knows how to bait and hook, lure and jab, refine and condense. Long may he reign even as he so wisely chooses not to compromise his gifts for the sake of convenience, conformity and filthy lucre.
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The above is what Amir Muhammad wrote in New Straits Times on 13 February 2002. Simply CLICK HERE to find out more and decide if things have changed after eight years!