Tony Cassar Darien’s latest experimental foray into publish-ing, Il-Kennies tal-Ġenna, tells the story of Ġanni Borg who, following an agreement with the Valletta local council, sweeps the streets of the capital by night, so that we find them clean the next morning.

Before he was constrained to turn to the broom to eke out a living, is-Sur John, as he was known, was a prominent and respected member of the banking profession.

His irresistible honesty however, kept him back from indulging in the language adopted by all the Maltese people who desire to get on in life.

Amid the silence of his working nights, Ġanni surprisingly discovers how the once magnificent buildings and monuments of Valletta had fallen from grace in much the same way as his own life had faltered, thus creating a profound bond between the two buddies: city and sweeper.

The book is intended to be read as a short novel, or acted out on stage.

Il-Kennies tal-Ġenna is published by Horizons.