(Adds MLP, PN statements)

Well known author Mikiel Spiteri, better known as Kilin, has passed away. He would have been 91 next month.

Born in Rabat in 1917 and known as Kilin since childhood, Mr Spiteri published a string of books in Maltese which included novels and poetry. He also penned booklets on wayside chapels and small churches.

His best known work is Fuq l-Ghajn Ta' San Bastjan, which is a collection of childhood memories of the 1920s.

MLP spokesmen Evarist Bartolo and Owen Bonnici in a statement this afternoon saluted the memory of Michael Spiteri, saying Malta had lost one of its best authors.

“Kilin was a person who dearly loved his family, his country and literature, and the Labour Party joins the rest of the country in saluting this great and humble man and expressed its condolences to the his family,” the party said.

The Nationalist Party said Kilin would always be remembered for his contribution to Maltese literature.

Kilin was an author who not only conveyed a message through his writing but he also distinguished himself in the way he used the Maltese language. Through his writings, he succeeded in creating awareness of the importance of the Maltese language as part of the national identity," the PN said. It also expressed condolences to his family.