The Da Vinci Code has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. It has angered a few people; perhaps it should have angered more. One man it did anger for sure is renowned novelist Frans Sammut. And the energy that that anger generated drove him to write a strident criticism of the best-seller.

Frans Sammut On/Dwar The Da Vinci Code is Sammut’s latest work. It is written in a no-nonsense, assertive style that reveals the weak foundations on which Dan Brown’s book is built. Sammut discusses the biblical and other religious sources of the book, enabling the intelligent reader to understand the games played by Brown. Being a foremost novelist himself, Sammut airs his views on the literary qualities of Brown’s book, comparing and contrasting it with other books written on the same subject.

Though his writing career spans over 40 years, this is Sammut’s first bilingual book. It is written in Maltese and in English, and aims to convey the sentiments of a Maltese liberal writer to Maltese and foreigner alike. But let not this statement lead you astray. Sammut may be liberal, but he is not ready to be taken for a ride. “There have always been several ways and means of making a fortune out of religion, superstition, and popular gullibility,” says Sammut. “Dan Brown’s way is one of them. And doubtlessly not the most edifying.”

L-Ghaqda tal-Malti – Università will launch Sammut’s book at the Radisson SAS Baypoint Hotel, Saint Julian’s, on Saturday at 10am. Rev. Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott will take part, together with other speakers. The event is sponsored by Kotba-Argo. The general public is invited.