Kilin

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Mike Spiteri alias Kilin was a prolific author of prose and poetry.

Kilin was born in Rabat on 29 August 1917. He received his education at the Lyceum and immediately after his matriculation exams in 1934 he joined the civil service, first as a customs officer.

Kilin published a series of five booklets on the chapels in the Maltese countryside. Wayside Chapels (1966) is the English version of the first book in this famous series. Throughout the series, Kilin includes dainty pencil drawings of each of the chapels that feature in his books.

Kilin’s first tentative venture to write poetry and short stories was his publication Burdati (1970), immediately followd by Burdati 71 (1971). In his collection of essays in Tlikki Tlikki ma’ Wenżu (1972) and its sequel Hawn Aħna, Wenż (1991), Kilin registers his conversations with his beloved portable radio, Wenżu, during walks in the countryside. With Wenżu he confides his musings and laments about the fast disappearance of Malta's characteristic enviroment and popular customs.

In Fuq l-Għajn ta’ San Bastjan, who many consider as his best work, Kilin reminisces about his life in the twenties and records his blissful childhood memories. His three prize winning novels, l-Għafrid (1975), Tmint Ijiem fi Dragunara (1984) and It-tapit imsaħħar (1995) are proof of Kilin’s versatily in choice of subject matter, style and literary mood.

Kilin’s interests were varied and included music, painting, chess and the theatre. He passionately loved the Spanish language and spent long hours studying, teaching and translating from Spanish. But most of all he loved the Maltese language and thoughout his literary career, he championed the cause of his native language and harshly criticised the bad use of Maltese especially by the print based and electronic media.

He died on 8 July at the age of 90.