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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 MARCH 2020 8 CULTURE Book Review In-Natura Tibki Sergio Grasso Horizons, 2019 SERGIO Grasso's writing only becomes deeply felt when he turns his pen towards the subject of animals. This is certainly evident in his second book, a short story collection entitled In-Natura Tibki. In the titular story, the readers are introduced to an animal advis- ing a young lad not to interfere with na- ture. But despite the author's self-declar- erd love of animals, and the fact that the book itself is dedicated to two adorable cats, the story is also paradoxically char- acterised by highly graphic descriptions of animal cruelty. Perhaps this is the indirect result of the impassioned surfeit of love the author has for animals. The author believes that animals have an undeniable purity to them, this much is very clear. He emphasises all this in the story Qrara bla Tewba, which presents a vision of a dead man whose soul whose soul never found rest as a result of him killing an an- imal earlier in his life. While still alive, the man goes to confession in an attempt to cleanse himself of the crime. However this was too much for the priest and The Lord showed mercy on the latter by killing him. The book also features a poem, in which Grasso talks to a caged lion and reflects both on his own weakness as a man and on the tragic condition of the caged lion, whose strength is rendererd useless by his confinement. Grasso believes that humans are inferior to animals. Being a character who is dif- ficult to please, he stresses the fact that one of his greatest satisfactions is feeding stray cats and that life without animals is nothing. In-Natura Tibki is a so-called journey full of doubts about humans and nature and that nature would have been more at ease without man's interference. PARK Towers Supermarkets, Valyou Supermarkets, Tower Supermarket, Trolees Supermarket and Lasco Super- market, have jointly issued a public ap- peal for cooperation for the health and safety of its employees and customers. With the ongoing developments with regards to the Covid-19 out- break, the supermarkets have imple- mented a number of measures to en- sure the safety of their workforce but also of the customers visiting their outlets. While internally the supermarkets have vigilantly advised all staff who have travelled to adhere to the di- rectives of the Ministry of Health, a number of initiatives have been tak- en in order to control the current sit- uation with crowds in many of their supermarkets. These initiatives have been issued in line with the company's respon- sibility towards their own staff, their families, and their loyal clientele. The public is being urged to refrain from entering any of their supermar- kets if one is suffering from flu-like symptoms or have been placed under mandatory quarantine. Customers are also being asked to sanitise their hands before using any trolleys or baskets, using the sanitis- ers that are being provided at the en- trance to every outlet. Shoppers should also avoid picking up merchandise and placing them back on the shelves. The public can further safeguard their own health by keeping an ad- equate distance from others, in particular when encountering long queues at the cashpoints. The super- markets are em- ploying all efforts to ensure that cus- tomers are served in the least time possible and appeal to the public to cooperate with them at all times. The directors wish to thank every single employee for their continuous hard work and dedication through- out. The effect of COVID-19 on the supermarket industry has been chal- lenging, and it is thanks to the pos- itive and grounded approach of the entire team that such supermarkets have continued to provide the best possible shopping experience to their customers. The company said it will continue to take every measure to ensure the wellbeing of their employees and re- iterate that this is their main priority. These measures are being imple- mented in all of the supermarket's outlets, namely Park Towers Su- permarkets (Spinola, St Julian's, Sta Venera), Valyou Supermarkets (Pendergardens, Naxxar, Mellieha), Tower Supermarket (Sliema), Trol- ees Supermarket (Qawra), and Lasco Supermarket (Zejtun). For more information, visit http:// www.gsmalta.com/ Supermarkets' public appeal for safety