In his first two novels, Nbid ta’ kuljum (Everyday wine) and Xemx wisq sabiħa (O Sun so beautiful), Stagno provided an incisive snapshot of an upcoming hedonist Maltese generation. These novels were accordingly irreverent, almost unremittingly vulgar and sexually explicit. They were also incredibly funny and eminently readable. Think of a grosser Mediterranean version of Nick Hornby or Irvine Welsh without the violence. Guze Stagno’s fourth and latest work – “What happens in Brussels stays in Brussels” follows an ill-assorted group of political party supporters as they take on the EU institutions at the invitation of a Maltese MEP of dubious competence. I read it last year, and was struck by the fact that whilst sharing some of the hallmarks of Stagno’s earlier writing, it is very obviously the work of an older, more jaded man, bleak in its assessment of a society led by self-serving politicians.

Ramon u z-Zerbinotti seems to bridge the gap between Stagno’s novels. Set in the early 90s, it follows a typical week in the life of a group of friends in the 5th Form of a boys’ secondary school. Were Ramon real, he would be just a few years older than I am, and I could therefore appreciate the authenticity of Stagno’s descriptions of school life and teenage angst. Indeed, despite the profanities and the rough edges of the novel, there is an underlying feel of nostalgia in it, a sense that – to use a Maltese saying “we were better when we were worse”. There is much to savour in this novel apart from comparing notes with its protagonists – its spot-on portrayal of the foibles and fears of adolescence, its humour (if less effective than in Xemx wisq sabiha) including pseudo-academic footnotes, the witty barbs directed at Maltese society (which would become more apparent in “Brussels). What disappointed me was that it’s not ambitious enough. Stagno subtitles his work “Rumanz ‘pop’ iehor” (another ‘pop’ novel), as if this were a disclaimer, and throughout the book self-consciously refers to it as “our modest novel”. It’s a description that is not far off the mark – with greater insight into Ramon’s actions, say, this could easily have been a memorable coming-of-age novel and yet there’s little attempt at development of character or plot. Don’t get me wrong – this remains a witty, funny and entertaining novel. The pity is it could have been much more. ( )

In his first two novels, Nbid ta’ kuljum (Everyday wine) and Xemx wisq sabiħa (O Sun so beautiful), Stagno provided an incisive snapshot of an upcoming hedonist Maltese generation. These novels were accordingly irreverent, almost unremittingly vulgar and sexually explicit. They were also incredibly funny and eminently readable. Think of a grosser Mediterranean version of Nick Hornby or Irvine Welsh without the violence. Guze Stagno’s fourth and latest work – “What happens in Brussels stays in Brussels” follows an ill-assorted group of political party supporters as they take on the EU institutions at the invitation of a Maltese MEP of dubious competence. I read it last year, and was struck by the fact that whilst sharing some of the hallmarks of Stagno’s earlier writing, it is very obviously the work of an older, more jaded man, bleak in its assessment of a society led by self-serving politicians.

Ramon u z-Zerbinotti seems to bridge the gap between Stagno’s novels. Set in the early 90s, it follows a typical week in the life of a group of friends in the 5th Form of a boys’ secondary school. Were Ramon real, he would be just a few years older than I am, and I could therefore appreciate the authenticity of Stagno’s descriptions of school life and teenage angst. Indeed, despite the profanities and the rough edges of the novel, there is an underlying feel of nostalgia in it, a sense that – to use a Maltese saying “we were better when we were worse”. There is much to savour in this novel apart from comparing notes with its protagonists – its spot-on portrayal of the foibles and fears of adolescence, its humour (if less effective than in Xemx wisq sabiha) including pseudo-academic footnotes, the witty barbs directed at Maltese society (which would become more apparent in “Brussels). What disappointed me was that it’s not ambitious enough. Stagno subtitles his work “Rumanz ‘pop’ iehor” (another ‘pop’ novel), as if this were a disclaimer, and throughout the book self-consciously refers to it as “our modest novel”. It’s a description that is not far off the mark – with greater insight into Ramon’s actions, say, this could easily have been a memorable coming-of-age novel and yet there’s little attempt at development of character or plot. Don’t get me wrong – this remains a witty, funny and entertaining novel. The pity is it could have been much more. ( )