The design of Trevor Zahra's creative prose

Abstract

Whenever I find occasion to talk to Trevor Zahra about his works - or with his brother who often imposes his jolly self on a discussion of Zahra the writer - often gather pieces of information about the backstage activity of his writing. And I have learned so many things about his prepa1 a lions. Zahra's most important characteristic as a writer is that he is very patient, and a contributing factor to his popularity is that he never claims from his reader an effort to understand the meaning and implications of his writing. He writes Maltese with grace and is never obscure. Having a mind equipped with a faculty for precise reflection, he is quite capable of expressing with lucidity subtle observations and thoughts on human nature and he makes pretty sure that his drift does not escape the reader. He takes the trouble to learn all the necessary details relating to the content of his stories and, what is equally important, he has over the years become sufficiently sensitive to the beauty of the Maltese language to write with perspicuity. [excerpt]