'Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal'
Author: Lon Kirkop
Publisher: Merlin Publishers / 2025
Pages: 176

We tend to associate summer with childhood: endless days, sand, cool sea water, ice creams, adventures... Yet there is also a summer that is never spoken about in front of children. There is a more complex, nuanced summer, filled with the adult stories of those living on the margins of heteronormativity and social respectability, waiting for someone bold enough to tell them.

It is against this backdrop that Merlin Publishers have just released the new, searing book by Lon Kirkop, Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal. This is a collection of 11 short stories that delve deeply into aspects of sexuality, identity and relationships which we are still not quite ready to confront head-on.

The collection offers a rich range of narratives introducing us, among others, to two married colleagues who find themselves drawn to one another; a man denied the space to grieve the loss of his beloved; a married woman with lesbian fantasies; a son who discovers that his father was a paedophile and wonders fearfully whether this tendency is inherited; and a transgender adolescent facing profound emotional and personal challenges. Together, these stories form a mosaic of human experiences that we rarely hear about, because they so often remain hidden in the shadows of what is considered "normal" truth.

"All of these stories stem either from personal experiences or from events that happened very close to me," says Kirkop. "So I can say that in every story there is, in one way or another, Lon - and when Lon is not there, there is Marlon."

Marlon Chircop, better known as Lon Kirkop, is already regarded as one of the country's most versatile artists, with a career spanning writing, theatre, music and visual art. In 2020 he won the Novels for Youth Literary contest with the novel Mitt Elf Isem Ieħor: Happy Vegan Girl Jules. He later went on to win the National Book Prize in the Drama category for Fil-Ħajja li Jmiss u Drammi Oħra tat-Triq, as well as the Award for Best Emerging Author. In addition, he won the L-Għanja tal-Poplu music festival for the composition and lyrics of the song Fil-Kexxun.

"Although each story in this collection stands on its own and there is no direct link between them, there are many elements that bind them together, such as summer, sex and sexuality," Kirkop explains. "The stories do not simply offer the heat of summer; they also carry the nostalgic flavours of our childhood. They do not merely present sex, but explore the universal emotions that exist between people, regardless of who they are, focusing on fluidity and on the grey areas between the black and the white."

Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal is an important book because it is unafraid to open a window onto experiences and identities that we still struggle to discuss openly in Malta. It acknowledges that human life is not always simple, clear-cut or neatly defined, but that truth itself is layered with nuance - and that sometimes the most important stories are precisely those we prefer to keep concealed.

Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal is being published in two editions: a standard softcover version, and a limited deluxe hardback edition with individually numbered and signed copies. Both editions feature distinctive cover artwork masterfully created by artist Pierre Portelli, inspired by different facets of the experiences narrated in the book.

The book offers another unique dimension: at one point Kirkop takes the reader beyond the page to present a multisensory and innovative literary experience. One of the stories includes the lyrics of an original song entitled Ħajja Fittizja, together with a QR code linking the reader to the full recording of the song - composed and performed by Kirkop himself.

Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal was launched to the public through a vibrant and carefully curated event held on 3 December at the Esplora Planetarium Hall in Kalkara. The event, which featured singing and acting by the author himself alongside other artists, was a celebration of art and creativity in the many forms practised by Kirkop. Anyone who purchased a deluxe copy also took home a small gift - a distinctive Action Man figure, which appears on the cover of the standard edition, recreated in vibrant colours using 3D printing - a symbol that evokes childhood play and serves as a powerful motif in one of the stories.

Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal is not a book for everyone. It is intended for readers with an open mind, willing to engage with stories that challenge taboos.

It is available from all bookshops or online directly from www.merlinpublishers.com