Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1512265
16 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 NOVEMBER 2023 NEWS ACROSS 1) Reviews and corrects 6) Old-time anesthetic 11) This puzzle's 15-Across 14) Run slower 15) Crossword puzzle fea- ture 16) Get a little behind 17) The unfolding of blos- soms 19) Joint owners' pronoun 20) Enjoy a hot tub 21) Stand the test of time 23) Prior to 26) Eye parts with cones 27) Mitty of fiction 28) Dispatch again 29) "It's___ !" (thumbs-up reply) 30) Lunch meat shops 32) Coral islands 35) Front-page stuff 37) Removed a squeak 39) "Dang!" 40) "There ___ enough hours in the day" 42) "Great Balls of Fire" singer Jerry Lee 44) Rage 45) Lots of business? 47) "King of Queens" character 49) Units of current 51) Nativity setting 52) Relatives of Tahitians 53) Raccoon's relative 55) Upscale auto 56) Theater illuminators 61) Make a polygraph go nuts 62) Shot, as a gun 63) Acid type 64) Always, poetically 65) Bird-feeder filler 66) Makes it until the end DOWN 1) Diminutive folklore creature 2) Costa Sol 3) "What was ___ think?" 4) Tasty flatfish 5) Impaled 6) Cut into metal 7) "... 'tis of ___" 8) Farm female 9) Hosts 10) Come back into, as the atmosphere 11) Trying not to go under 12) Dem of TV and films 13) Grimm characters 18) Audiophile's setup 22) Had an elegant supper 23) African sir 24) Ready, willing and able 25) Hippies' '60s catch- phrase 26) Change a hem length 28) Life of ___ (ease) 31) Cheerful little tunes 33) Madcap comedy 34) Beefy bovine 36) Villainous expression 38) Bleak 41) Export-import duties 43) Having three dimen- sions 46) "The Naked Gun" actor Nielsen 48) Mind-boggling puzzle 49) Carefree walk 50) Mrs. Eisenhower 53) Kind of softball team 54) Racetrack quote 57) Hidden gold, e.g. 58) Not hers 59) Dynamite stuff 60) Plea at sea F Solution to last week's crossword The answers to today's crossword will be published in next week's Midweek edition Weather Rather cloudy with some isolated showers at first becoming cloudy with showers locally thundery and gusty at times Visibility Good locally moderate to poor in showers TOMORROW Crossword WEATHER ISOLATED SHOWERS 22 0 / 16 0 TODAY ISOLATED SHOWERS 20 / 15 0 FEELS LIKE 20 0 FEELS LIKE 22 0 A book review blog that caused waves in the literary scene over the weekend has been pulled down mere weeks after its launch. When the Malta Literary Review came to the scene, people were taken aback by its no-holds-barred approach to its liter- ary criticism. Its first article was a critique on Praspar Press, a micro-publisher that promotes contemporary Maltese literature written in English and English translation. The article discussed Praspar Press's editorial standards, "or lack thereof" as the portal said in a promotional Instagram post. The people, or person, behind the web- site then turned to Maria Grech Gana- do, Malta's first poet laureate, and the online literary journal Aphroconfuso. It also published a criticism of Mibdul, a six-issue comic book that received fund- ing from the National Book Council, and called it "comically criminal". Last Saturday, Brikkuni frontman Mario Vella posted a link to the website on Face- book. He remarked that, while the ano- nymity was cowardly, the no holds barred approach was "refreshing and pretty en- tertaining". Literary enthusiasts picked up on the discussion and shared their two cents. Mario Aquilina, an associate professor at the University of Malta, commented that the "outspokenness" of the author is refreshing, but "the pettiness and the obvious personal gripes that this individ- ual has makes the reviewing on this page seem childish". Writer Mel Hart also remarked that the reviews were superficial in writing, with no real depth. "If it wasn't anonymous I think I would feel differently." Presumed author receives threats As people began to speculate on who was behind the website, some turned to writer and journalist David Hudson, who had been critical of the literary scene in the past. Hudson told MaltaToday that he had been approached by someone to help draft the mission statement of the website and set up the advertising framework for the website. "Since the Instagram account was linked to my email, which was in turn linked to my Facebook, their first Instagram post was automatically shared to my Face- book. I removed the post, but people took screenshots and started to suspect it was me behind the website." Hudson said he never contributed to the website with any writings. Regardless, he said that he has received threats in rela- tion to the reviews, directed towards him and his girlfriend Jasmine Bajada, who is also a poet. Literary review website taken down after three weeks The website was taken down on Tuesday, but its Instagram account remains open