I refer to Marco Galea's review of Mario Azzopardi's collection of short stories for teenagers and young adults, Alicia Titkellem mill-Imwiet (Weekender, December 1).

While a reviewer is entitled to his viewpoint regarding his analysis of a work, a write-up with substantial anecdotal comments could mask a certain reluctance to evaluate a work's inherent validity.

This can be a disservice to readers. Dr Galea's experience of literature classes when he was in his teens might not be that relevant, although on reflection such comments reminded me of Harold Bloom's seminal theory of the anxiety of influence, which the reviewer might be familiar with. In a nutshell, Bloom proposes that for a new generation of writers to come into its own, it has to contend with the, sometimes massive, influence of the previous generation. It might not be fashionable to apply Freudian concepts to literary matters but the introductory part of the review in question contains aspects of Bloom's reading of literature which may have interesting implications.

Perhaps owing to space restriction, Dr Galea only hints insufficiently at whether authorial intrusion liberates or inhibits the array of characters inhabiting Mr Azzopardi's imagination. Your reviewer did suggest that Mr Azzopardi allows his characters to be autonomous. In one provocative story involving a sexually abused girl, the "narrator" seems to assume an identity the author cannot control. On the other hand, Ruth, the teenage diarist, appears to tow the path Mr Azzopardi sets out for her. It would have been fascinating to read comments as to why Ruth is made to quote poetry Mr Azzopardi himself has written, set out in an anthology studied at school. Could it be because, consciously or not, Mr Azzopardi couldn't let go of the character?

The reviewer rightfully observes that Ruth is way ahead of her peers. In fact her credibility as a character is the result of two important factors that aren't even hinted at: her parents have split up and her dad is a liberal journalist who has never patronised his daughter.

Unlike your reviewer, I do not find it at all surprising that teenagers think about war, terrorism and international politics. Much lyrical content is being addressed to this age group. Even though some song lyrics teenagers listen to tend to be crude, they deal with themes such as war, alienation, the loss of childhood innocence, destruction both physical and spiritual, rebellion and death. Both poetry and politics are very much on the mind of this age group, the only difference being they generally prefer to discover their own forms of expression, rather than have it rammed down their throats.

This is why writing for this age group is a very exacting matter. At no point in the collection of short stories did I get the impression Mr Azzopardi is being condescending or moralistic. He did run the risk of falling into such a trap, however, Alicia, the girl who died of an overdose after casual sex and whose mother was violently murdered, is almost clinically detached when she narrates her life story. The piece contains a multitude of voices ranging from the girl's to that of the young men who abused her, that of the law and the media and even the author's.

Finally, I would have expected a wider contextualisation of these short stories. There are numerous internationally renowned writers who have written for younger audiences and critics analyse these forays within the context of an artist's total creative output.

Merlin Library, as publishers, ought to be commended for taking on this kind of unconventional material in Maltese.