'Ħdejn in-Nixxiegħa'

Author: Trevor Zahra

Publisher: Merlin Library / 1975

Pages: 141

Noel Grima

Trevor Zahra and I were born on the same day and in the same year, so to my mind that makes him my twin. However, we have never met and up to now I had never read anything by him even though, as we shall see, his output was prodigious.

I have recently reviewed Il-baħar rasu iebsa by Lino Psaila, listing the many tales of courage shown by innumerable fishermen mostly from Marsaxlokk, battling against the cruel sea.

This, in a way, serves as a background to this story. It is the story of Frans, born in a family of fishermen, who however has no intention of becoming one himself. He is very intelligent and beats all the children in his class.

He is also a model student and a devout one, so much so that some thought he was made to become a priest.

Frans was taken in by his uncle, his father's brother, who had become rich and who too hated the sea and fishing. Frans found that trade and commerce suited him.

Encouraged by his uncle, Frans cast around to find a girl and he soon found one, Rosie, a clerk typist. They started dating and surprised each other by how in love they became.

But just as in the Garden of Eden, the serpent of envy was lying in wait and the chaste love of the two was soon riddled and killed.

Midway through the book, Zahra introduces a primitive community of strange names - Afrim, Demoka, Milagham, Gekam, Urki, Sada .....  Names and customs might change but the human being remains the same, love remains the same and unfortunately envy remains the same too.

Zahra was born in Zejtun and for many years he was a teacher in the schools of this locality. He enthusiastically joined in the Carnival celebrations and scripted many entertainments.

He began by writing books for children which soon graduated to fully-fledged novels and lately too into adult novels. In all, he is estimated to have published more than 130 books. He was awarded the National Book Prize for 18 times and was also awarded with the national award Midalja għall-Qadi tar-Repubblika.