#BreakTheBias: Malaysian author on fairy tales, safe spaces and empowerment

‘These stories offer a way to discuss difficult issues in a safe environment,’ says Heidi about folk tales and fairy tales and how they can help people navigate today’s world. Photo: The Star/Yap Chee Hong

Heidi Shamsuddin remembers it vividly, like it was yesterday.

She and her siblings (she’s the second child among five) would gather around their father, eagerly waiting for the fairy tale – from Hans Christian Andersen to the Brothers Grimm – to begin.