John Aquilina (UK/Malta) | Asja Bakić (Bosnia Herzegovina) | Mourid Barghouti (Palestine), Lilia Ben Romdhane (Tunisia) | Mark Camilleri (Malta) | Immanuel Mifsud (Malta) | Jean Portante (Luxembourg) | Alfred Sant (Malta) | Zoë Skoulding (Wales)| Ma Thida (Myanmar) | Arvis Viguls (Latvia) | Gjoko Zdraveski (Republic of Macedonia)
John Aquilina twieled Ħ’Attard, Malta, fl-1977. Beda jikteb il-poeżija fl-1994, l-iktar bil-Malti, imma riċentement ukoll bl-Ingliż. L-ewwel ġabra tiegħu, Leħnek il-Libsa Tiegħi, dehret fl-2010 u rebħet il-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb is-sena ta’ wara. Bħalissa qed ilesti t-tieni ġabra ta’ poeżiji. John spiċċa l-istudji fil-Matematika fl-2005, u minn dak iż-żmien għadu jaħdem fil-finanzi fil-belt ta’ Londra.
John Aquilina was born in Attard, Malta, in 1977. He started writing poetry in 1994, mostly in Maltese but recently also in English. His first collection of poetry in Maltese, Leħnek il-Libsa Tiegħi (Your voice my only clothing), appeared in 2010 and won the Malta National Book Prize in 2011. He is currently preparing a second collection of poetry. Professionally, John completed his studies in Mathematics in 2005, and since then has worked as a Financial Analyst in the City of London.
Asja Bakić twieldet fl-1982 f’Tuzla, l-Bosnija-Ħerżegovina. Hemmhekk kisbet il-lawrja fil-lingwa u l-letteratura Bosnijaka. Bakić ippublikat ktieb tal-poeżija, It Can Be a Cactus, as Long as it Stings (Aora, Zagreb, 2009), li ġie nnominat għall-premju letterarju Kroat Kiklop fil-kategorija tal-aqwa debutt tas-sena 2010. It-tieni ktieb tagħha, ġabra ta’ novelli, Mars (Sandorf, 2015), kien fost il-finalisti tal-Premju Edo Budiša. Il-poeżiji u stejjer tagħha nqalbu għall-Ingliż, il-Pollakk, iċ-Ċek, il-Maċedonu, is-Sloven, ir-Rumen, u l-Iżvediż. Bakić għandha l-blogg In the Realm of Melancholy (asjaba.com) u hija l-awtriċi u l-editriċi tas-sit Muff (muf.com.hr), li jiffoka fuq qari femminist u l-kultura popolari. Asja Bakić hija membru tal-Għaqda tal-Kittieba Kroati u waħda minn għadd ta’ poeti Kroati fil-pjattaforma tal-poeżija Ewropea, Versopolis. Hija ttraduċiet għall-Kroat lil Emily Dickinson, Alejandra Pizarnik, Elizabeth Bishop, Emil Cioran, Michel Deguy, Klaus Mann, Henri Michaux, Jacques Rancière u awturi u filosfi prominenti oħra. Bħalissa tgħix f’Żagreb. Tista’ taqra xi xogħlijiet tagħha hawnhekk.
Asja Bakić (1982) was born in Tuzla, where she obtained a degree in Bosnian language and literature. Bakić has published a book of poetry It Can Be a Cactus, as Long as it Stings (Aora, Zagreb, 2009), which was nominated for Croatian literary award Kiklop in the category best first book in 2010. Her second book, collection of short stories Mars (Sandorf, 2015), was shortlisted for Edo Budiša Award. Her poems and stories are translated into English, Polish, Czech, Macedonian, Slovenian, Romanian and Swedish. She writes a blog In the Realm of Melancholy (asjaba.com) and is one of the editors and authors of Muff (muf.com.hr), website dedicated to feminist reading of popular culture. Bakić is a member of the Croatian Writers’ Association and one of the several Croatian poets included in the European poetry platform Versopolis. She translated Emily Dickinson, Alejandra Pizarnik, Elizabeth Bishop, Emil Cioran, Michel Deguy, Klaus Mann, Henri Michaux, Jacques Rancière and other prominent authors and philosophers into Croatian. She currently lives in Zagreb. Read some of her work here.
Mourid Barghouti, poeta u kittieb ewlieni Palestinjan, twieled fit-8 ta’ Lulju, 1944 f’Deir Ghassana, qrib Ramallah, fix-Xatt tal-Punent tax-Xmara Ġordan, il-Palestina. Barghouti trabba Ramallah, ma’ tliet ħutu subien. F’nofs is-sittinijiet mar jistudja l-Università tal-Kajr, l-Eġittu. Fl-aħħar sena tal-kors, faqqgħet il-gwerra tas-Sitt Ijiem tal-1967. Lejn tmiem il-gwerra, l-Iżrael ħataf Gaża u x-Xatt tal-Punent u Barghouti, bħal ħafna Palestinjani oħra, ma tħalliex imur lura lejn artu. Wara l-gwerra, Barghouti beda jaħdem bħala għalliem fil-Kulleġġ Industrijali tal-Kuwajt. Fl-istess ħin, beda jinteressa ruħu aktar fil-letteratura u l-poeżija, u fi żmien qasir kitbietu ġew ippubblikati fil-ġurnali al-Adab u Mawaqif f’Bejrut, u f’al-Katib, attaleea u Al Ahram fil-Kajr. Fl-1968, bena relazzjoni mal-kartunista Palestinjan Naji al-Ali, li dak iż-żmien kien ukoll qed jaħdem fil-Kuwajt.
Fl-1970, Barghouti żżewweġ lir-rumanziera u akkademika Eġizzjana Radwa Ashour. Kienu ltaqgħu erba’ snin qabel meta kienu għadhom studenti fid-Dipartiment tal-Ingliż fl-Università tal-Kajr. Kellhom wild wieħed, tifel, Tamim Al Barghouti, li twieled fl-1977 fl-Eġittu, u li s’issa ħareġ erba’ kotba ta’ poeżija. Fl-2015 ħa sehem fil-Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta’ Malta.
Wara anqas minn sena ta’ żwieġ, Mourid Barghouti u Radwa Ashour telqu mill-Kuwajt u marru jgħixu l-Eġittu. Fl-1972, Barghouti ppubblika l-ewwel ktieb tiegħu ta’ poeżija ma’ Dar al-Awdeh f’Bejrut, il-Libanu. Minn dak iż-żmien ’l hawn ippubblika tnax-il ktieb tal-poeżija, fosthom Muntasaf al-Lail (Midnight, Beirut, 2005, Riad El Rayes Publishers). Il-ġabra tal-kitbiet tiegħu ħarġet f’Bejrut fl-1997. Fl-2003 ġie ppubblikat l-ewwel ktieb tiegħu tal-poeżija tradott għall-Ingliż, A Small Sun mill-Aldeburgh Poetry Trust. Barghouti ngħata l-Premju Palestinjan tal-Poeżija fis-sena 2000. Il-poeżiji tiegħu dehru f’diversi rivisti letterarji internazzjonali fid-dinja Għarbija u lil hinn. Traduzzjonijiet tal-poeżiji tiegħu bl-Ingliż ġew ippubblikati fl-Al Ahram Weekly, Banipal, The Times Literary Supplement u Modern Poetry in Translation, waqt li waħda mill-aktar poeżiji famużi tiegħu dehret bħala kopertina f’Pen International.
Fil-ħarifa tal-1977, lejlet iż-żjara kontroversjali ta’ Anwar Sadat fl-Iżrael, Barghouti ġie ddeportat mill-Eġittu u tħalla biss imur lura sbatax-il sena wara. Barghouti, martu u ibnu kellhom jgħixu l-biċċa l-kbira ta’ dawn is-sbatax-il sena ’l bogħod minn xulxin. Radwa għexet fil-Kajr bħala professoressa tal-Ingliż fl-Università Ain Shams, waqt li Mourid għex f’Budapest bħala rappreżentant tal-OLP fil-Federazzjoni Dinjija taż-Żgħażagħ Demokratiċi u bħala diplomatiku kulturali.
Bil-Ftehim ta’ Oslo, Barghouti fl-aħħar seta’ jmur lura x-Xatt tal-Punent u fl-1996 irritorna Ramallaħ wara tletin sena ta’ eżilju. Dan l-avveniment ispirah biex jikteb ir-rumanz awtobijografiku tiegħu, Ra’aytu Ram Allah (Rajt Ramallaħ), ippubblikat minn Dar Al Hilal, il-Kajr, fl-1997, u li bih rebaħ l-Medalja prestiġjuża tal-letteratura msemmija għal Naguib Mahrouz. Ir-rumanz, li fih jissemmew personalitajiet kulturali Palestinjani bħal Ghassan Kanafani u Naji al-Ali, inqaleb f’diversi lingwi. Il-verżjoni bl-Ingliż għandha introduzzjoni ta’ Edward Said. Mourid Barghouti ppubblika wkoll diversi studji bl-Ingliż u bl-Għarbi fuq il-poeżija.
Mourid Barghouti (born July 8, 1944, in Deir Ghassana, near Ramallah, on the West Bank) is a leading Palestinian poet and writer. Barghouti grew up in Ramallah as one of four brothers. In the mid-1960s, Barghouti went to study at Cairo University in Cairo, Egypt. He was just finishing his last year in college when the Six-Day War of 1967 started. By the end of the war, Israel had captured Gaza and the West Bank, and Barghouti, like many Palestinians living abroad, was prevented from returning to his homeland. After the war Barghouti first went to work as a teacher at the Industrial College in Kuwait. At the same time, he began to pursue his interest in literature and poetry, and his writings were soon published in the journals al-Adab, Mawaqif, in Beirut and al-Katib, “attaleea” and “Al Ahram” in Cairo. In 1968, he became acquainted with the Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali, who at that time was also working in Kuwait.
In 1970, Barghouti married the Egyptian novelist and academic Radwa Ashour. The two had met years earlier, when they were both students of the English Department at Cairo University. They have one child, a son, Tamim Al Barghouti, born in 1977 in Egypt, who is now a poet with four published books of poetry.
The couple left Kuwait for Egypt less than a year after marrying. In 1972, Barghouti published his first book of poetry in 1972 (Dar al-Awdeh in Beirut, Lebanon). He has since published 12 books of poetry, the last of which is Muntasaf al-Lail (Midnight, Beirut, 2005, Riad El Rayes Publishers). His Collected Works came out in Beirut in 1997. A Small Sun, his first poetry book in English translation, was published by the Aldeburgh Poetry Trust in 2003. He was awarded the Palestine Award for Poetry (2000). His poems are published in Arabic and international literary magazines. English translations of his poetry have been published in Al Ahram Weekly, Banipal, The Times Literary Supplement and Modern Poetry in Translation, and one of his most famous poems appeared as a cover photo of Pen International.
In the autumn of 1977, Barghouti was deported from Egypt on the eve of Anwar Sadat’s controversial visit to Israel and was allowed to come back only after 17 years. Barghouti, his wife and their son had to spend most of the next 17 years apart; Radwa lived in Cairo as a professor of English at Ain Shams University, and he lived in Budapest as a PLO representative in the World Federation of Democratic Youth and a cultural attache.
The Oslo Accords finally allowed Barghouti to return to the West Bank, and in 1996 he returned to Ramallah after 30 years of exile. This event inspired his autobiographical novel Ra’aytu Ram Allah (I Saw Ramallah), published by Dar Al Hilal (Cairo, 1997), which won him the prestigious Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in the same year. Important Palestinian cultural personalities including Ghassan Kanafani and Naji al-Ali also appear in the book, which has been translated into several languages, including English, with an introduction by Edward Said. Mourid Barghouti has also published many essays both in English and Arabic on poetry.
Lilia Ben Romdhane (1989) hija poetessa Tuneżina li tara l-ispazju pubbliku bħala spazju ħaj u f’dawn l-aħħar ħames snin, ħadmet ħafna fl-isfera pubblika Tuneżina. Minħabba l-għażla li tikteb bid-djalett Tuneżin, ħolqot relazzjoni speċjali kemm mal-fenomenu ta’ dak li hu “Tuneżin” kif ukoll mat-Tuneżija kumplessa u indeterminata tat-Tuneżija. Fl-2017 ħadet sehem fil-Biennale tal-Arti ta’ Venezia bħala parti mill-istallazzjoni artistika ta’ pajjiżi bl-isem ta’ ‘The Absence of Paths’, xogħol li ħares lejn kwistjonijiet marbutin mal-konfini tal-istat-nazzjon u l-migrazzjoni.
Lilia Ben Romdhane (1989) is a Tunisian poet with a particular interest in viewing the public domain as a living space. For the past five years, she has chosen to follow the Tunisian public sphere, performing in Tunisian dialect and thus creating a special relationship with both ‘the Tunisian’ as a phenomenon, and the complex and undetermined post-revolution Tunisia. In 2017 she performed at the Venice Biennale, as part of the Tunisian pavilion’s installation ‘The Absence of Paths’, focusing on questions of nation-state borders and migration.
Mark Camilleri (Malta, 1977) studja sabiex isir għalliem, u bejn it-tħejjijiet għal-lezzjonijiet u l-korrezzjonijiet tax-xogħol tad-dar, sab il-ħin biex joħloq il-karattru ta’ Victor Gallo, spettur tal-pulizija f’Malta kontemporarja. L-ewwel darba li daħal fix-xena tal-publikazzjoni kienet permezz ta’ novella dwar Gallo li ntgħażlet għal 45, ġabra ta’ novelli li ċċelebraw il-45 anniversarju ta’ Merlin Publishers. Wara din l-istorja, kiteb Prima Facie, Volens u Nex, rumanzi li ttrattaw temi bħall-abbuż sesswali, il-qattiela prolifiċi, u l-korruzjoni fil-futbol u fil-politika. Bħalissa qiegħed jagħmel ir-riċerka għar-raba’ rumanz tiegħu dwar Victor Gallo. L-istil ta’ Camilleri huwa aħrax u realistiku, biss dan kollu jiġi mtaffi bl-użu rikk u senswali tal-lingwa Maltija.
Mark Camilleri, born in 1977, is from Malta. He studied to become a teacher, and between lesson plans and marking of home-works, he found time to create the world of Victor Gallo, a police inspector working in contemporary Malta. His first publishing break came in the form of a Gallo short story, published in ‘45’ a compilation that marked 45 years of Merlin Publishers in Malta. After that he wrote Prima Facie, Volens and Nex. The novels dealt with sexual abuse, serial killers, corruption in soccer and politics. He is currently researching his fourth novel, also featuring Victor Gallo. Camilleri’s style is raw, harsh and realistic, only mellowed down by the rich and sensual use of the Maltese language.
Immanuel Mifsud (Malta, 1967) huwa poeta u rumanzier li ngħata Premjijiet Nazzjonali għall-proża (2002, 2014) u għall-poeżija (2013), u l-Premju tal-Unjoni Ewropea għal-Letteratura (2011) għar-rakkont awtobijografiku, Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben). Traduzzjonijiet ta’ xogħlijiet ta’ Mifsud ġew ippubblikati f’għadd ta’ pajjiżi. Għandu dottorat mill-Università ta’ Malta fejn jgħallem il-letteratura Maltija u t-teorija letterarja. Ara www.immanuelmifsud.com
Immanuel Mifsud is a poet and a writer born in Malta in 1967. He is the recipient of a number of awards: the Malta National Award for prose (2002, 2014), the Malta National Award for poetry (2013), and the European Union Prize for Literature (2011). Various works by Mifsud have been translated and published in a number of languages.
He holds a PhD from the University of Malta where he lectures in Maltese literature and literary theory. Visir http://www.immanuelmifsud.com/
Prose
1991: Stejjer ta’ Nies Koroh (Stories of Ugly People)
1993: Il-Ktieb tas-Sibt Filgħaxija (The Book for Saturday Night)
1999: Il-Ktieb tal-Maħbubin Midruba (The Book of Maimed Lovers)
2002: L-Istejjer Strambi ta’ Sara Sue Sammut (Sara Sue Sammut’s Strange Stories)
2005: Kimika (Chemistry)
2006: Happy Weekend (in English)
2008: Stejjer li ma kellhomx jinkitbu (Stories that should never have been written)
2010: Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) (In the Name of the Father (and of the Son))
2014: Jutta Heim
2016: Fid-Dlam tal-Lejl Ħarisna
Poetry
1998: Fid-Dar ta’ Clara (At Clara’s)
2001: Il-Ktieb tar-Riħ u l-Fjuri (The Book of the Wind and Flowers)
2004: Polska-Slovensko (bilingual, Maltese-English)
2005: km (bilingual, Maltese-English)
2005: Confidential Reports (in English)
2007: Poland Pictures (in English)
2013: Penelopi Tistenna (Penelope Waits)
2016: Ħuta (Fish)
Jean Portante twieled f’Differdange, il-Lussemburgu, fl-1950. Huwa ta’ oriġni Taljana u jgħix Pariġi. Kiteb aktar minn erbgħin ktieb bejn rumanzi, novelli, drammi, saġġi, traduzzjonijiet, u poeżiji. Saru għadd kbir ta’ traduzzjonijiet tal-kitbiet tiegħu.
Jean Portante ttraduċa għall-Franċiż xogħlijiet ta’ poeti bħal Juan Gelman, Jerome Rothenberg, Pierre Joris, John Deane, Gonzalo Rojas, Edoardo Sanguineti, Valerio Magrelli, u Durs Grünbein. Fl-2003, il-ktieb tiegħu L’Étrange langue rebaħ il-premju Mallarmé u ngħata l-Grand Prix d’Automne de la Société des Gens de Lettres għax-xogħol tiegħu kollu.
Ir-rumanzi tiegħu jinkludu Mrs Haroy ou la mémoire de la baleine (1993), li ġie tradott f’diversi lingwi, u L’Architecture des temps instables (2015). Dawn iż-żewġ rumanzi rebħu l-premju SERVAIS bħala l-aqwa ktieb tas-sena. Huwa wkoll l-awtur tal-biografija, Allen Ginsberg. L’autre Amérique (Le Castor Astral, 1999). Ilu membru tal-Académie Mallarmé, li hija bbażata f’Pariġi mill-2006. Fl-2008, huwa beda r-rivista ta’ poeżija, Inuits dans la jungle flimkien mal-poeta Franċiż Jacques Darras. Fil-Lussemburgu, huwa jieħu ħsieb ir-rivista letterarja Transkrit li tiffoka fuq it-traduzzjoni.
Fl-2011 Jean Portante ngħata l-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Letteratura tal-Lussemburgu għall-opra letterarja tiegħu. Fl-2014, ħareġ Le travail de la baleine, ġabra ta’ poeżiji miktuba bejn l-1983 u l-2013.
Jean Portante was born in Differdange, Luxembourg, in 1950. He is of Italian origin. He lives in Paris. He has written more than forty books, novels, stories, plays, essays, translations and poetry, and has been widely translated. He has translated into French the works of poets like Juan Gelman, Jerome Rothenberg, Pierre Joris, John Deane, Gonzalo Rojas, Edoardo Sanguineti, Valerio Magrelli, and Durs Grünbein. In 2003, in France, his book L’Étrange langue won the Mallarmé prize and he was awarded the Grand Prix d’Automne de la Société des Gens de Lettres for his entire work.
His novels include Mrs Haroy ou la mémoire de la baleine (1993), which has been translated into several languages, and L’Architecture des temps instables (2015). Both novels were rewarded with the SERVAIS prize as best book of the year. He is also the author of a biography, Allen Ginsberg. L’autre Amérique (Le Castor Astral, 1999). Since 2006, Jean Portante is a member of the Académie Mallarmé, based in Paris. In 2008, he founded the poetry magazine Inuits dans la jungle in France with the French poet Jacques Darras. In Luxembourg, he is in charge of Transkrit, a literary magazine dedicated to translation.
In 2011 Jean Portante received the Luxembourg National Literature Award for his entire work. In 2014 he published Le travail de la baleine, a collection that contains poems written between 1983 and 2013.
Alfred Sant twieled Tas-Sliema fit-28 ta’ Frar, 1948, bin Joseph u Josephine, imwielda Mizzi. Huwa politiku, ekonomista, awtur, u kien Prim Ministru ta’ Malta bejn l-1996 u l-1998. Huwa kap tad-delegazzjoni tal-ewroparlamentari Laburisti Maltin fil-Parlament Ewropew. Bħala awtur u drammaturgu rebaħ għadd ta’ premjijiet letterarji.
Alfred Sant kien membru fundatur fil-grupp ta’ teatru sperimentali Xsenuru (1967-1968), wara li fl-1966, rebaħ l-ewwel premju fl-ewwel konkors għall-kitba ta’ drammi televiżivi b’Min hu Evelyn Costa? u fl-1967, l-ewwel premju f’konkors nazzjonali għall-kitba ta’ radjudrammi b’Meta Tqum il-Principessa. Kien ukoll membru tal-Moviment Qawmien Letterarju.
Sant kien editur tal-magazine Ferment fis-snin sittin; tar-rivista ta’ kull xahar Tomorrow (1982-1984); Society (1989-1992); u editur fil-magazine letterarju bil-Malti ta’ kull tliet xhur NEO (1989-1991). Kien jikteb artiklu ta’ kull ġimgħa fil-Malta News (1979-1988); It-Torċa (1983-1988, 1996-2008), u f’The Times (1999-2008). Għal numru ta’ snin kien jieħu ħsieb is-Sensiela Kotba Soċjalisti (SKS).
Ir-rumanzi li ppubblika humaL-Ewwel Weraq tal-Bajtar (1968), Bejgħ u Xiri (1981), Silġ fuq Kemmuna (1982), La Bidu, La Tmiem (2001), L-Għalqa tal-Iskarjota (2009), Bħal f’Dizzjunarju (2011), u George Bush f’Malta (2013). Il-ġabriet ta’ novelli huma Kwart ta’ Mija (1995), Pupu fil-Baħar. Rakkonti u Divertimenti (2010), Ċpar. Aktar Rakkonti u Divertimenti (2013), u Western. Bejn Rakkonti, Bejn Divertimenti (2016).
Għall-palk, Alfred Sant kiteb Min hu Evelyn Costa u drammi oħra (1979, 1982, 1993), Fid-Dell tal-Katidral u drammi oħra (1999), u Qabel tiftaħ l-Inkjesta u drammi oħra (1999). Ara wkoll http://www.wikiwand.com/mt/Alfred_Sant
Alfred Sant (Malta, 1948), an award-winning prolific novelist and playwright, is a member of the European Parliament, was leader of the Malta Labour Party between 1992 and 2008 and Prime Minister of Malta between 1996 and 1998. He was educated at the University of Malta, graduating B.Sc and M.Sc in 1968, before studying public administration and diplomacy at the Institut International d’Administration Publique (I.I.A.P) in Paris. Between 1970 and 1975, Sant went on to work as second and first secretary at the Malta Mission to the European Communities in Brussels, specializing in European affairs and in bilateral relations with Western European countries. After leaving the diplomatic service to further his education in the United States, Sant obtained both an M.B.A with high honours from Boston University in 1976 and a D.B.A from Harvard Business School in 1979.
A passionate novelist and playwright, Sant has always been extensively involved with journalism, theatre and creative writing, as well as contributing to numerous periodicals, magazines and journals. Between 1978 and 1992, Sant was the Economist Intelligence Unit’s correspondent for Malta, and between 1986 and 1992, correspondent for The European Review. He has published Maltese language novels, collections of essays, plays, and short stories, and a book of history. Most of his books have been published by SKS, the publishing wing of the Labour Party.
His seven novels are L-Ewwel Weraq tal-Bajtar (1968), Bejgħ u Xiri (1981), Silġ fuq Kemmuna (1982), La Bidu, La Tmiem (2001), L-Għalqa tal-Iskarjota (2009), Bħal f’Dizzjunarju (2011), and George Bush f’Malta (2013). His collections of short stories are Kwart ta’ Mija (1995), Pupu fil-Baħar. Rakkonti u Divertimenti (2010), Ċpar. Aktar Rakkonti u Divertimenti (2013), and Western. Bejn Rakkonti, Bejn Divertimenti (2016).
Zoë Skoulding hija poetessa, traduttriċi, editriċi, u kritika letterarja. Ħarġet erba’ ġabriet ta’ poeżiji, fosthom The Museum of Disappearing Sounds (Seren, 2013) u Remains of a Future City (Seren, 2008), li minnhom ħarġu ħafna traduzzjonijiet. Irrappreżentat xogħolha f’għadd kbir ta’ festivals internazzjonali, ħafna drabi bit-taħlit ta’ ħsejjes elettroniċi mal-vuċi u bi sħab ma’ mużiċisti. Zoë Skoulding hija lettriċi fl-Iskola tal-Ingliż tal-Università ta’ Bangor. Ġiet innominata għall-Premju Ted Hughes tas-Soċjetà tal-Poeżija fil-kategorija tax-Xogħol Ġdid tal-Poeżija fl-2013 u kienet fil-ġurija tal-Konkors Nazzjonali tal-Poeżija fl-2014. Ara www.zoeskoulding.co.uk
Zoë Skoulding is a poet, translator, editor and critic. She has published four collections of poetry, most recently The Museum of Disappearing Sounds (Seren, 2013) and Remains of a Future City (Seren, 2008), poems from which have been widely translated. She has performed her work at many international festivals, often incorporating electronic sound in her readings as well as collaborating with musicians. She is Senior Lecturer in the School of English at Bangor University. She was shortlisted for the The Poetry Society’s Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry 2013, and a judge for the National Poetry Competition 2014. Visit www.zoeskoulding.co.uk
Ma Thida (tw. 1966) hija tabiba, kittieba, u attivista tad-drittijiet tal-bnedmin li ntbagħtet il-ħabs minħabba l-prinċipji tagħha. Bħalissa hija l-editriċi ta’ rivista li toħroġ fi Myanmar (Burma), Shwe Amyutay, u ta’ ġurnal li joħroġ kull ħmistax bl-isem ta’ Info Digest. Taħdem bħala voluntiera fi klinika bla ħlas immexxija minn għaqda mhux governattiva lokali.
F’Ottubru tal-1993 intbagħtet 20 sena ħabs talli “pperikolat il-paċi pubblika, żammet kuntatt ma’ organizzazzjonijiet illegali, u qasmet letteratura illegali.” Iżda fl-1999 inħelset minħabba raġunijiet ta’ saħħa, iż-żieda fil-pressjoni politika, u l-interess fil-każ tagħha ta’ organizzazzjonijiet bħal Amnesty International u PEN International.
Ma Thida rebħet diversi premjijiet internazzjonali għax-xogħol tagħha fil-qasam tad-drittijiet tal-bnedmin, fosthom ir-Reebok Human Rights Award (1966), il-PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award (1996), Freedom of Speech Award (2011), Disturbing the Peace; Courageous Writer at Risk Award (2016).
Bejn l-2008 u l-2010 Ma Thida għexet l-Istati Uniti bħala membru tal-proġett International Writers Project fi Brown University u r-Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies fl-Università ta’ Harvard. Bejn l-2013 u l-2016 kienet l-ewwel president eletta ta’ PEN Myanmar u f’Ottubru tal-2016 ġiet eletta bħala membru tal-bord tal-PEN International.
Ma Thida (ca. 1966) is a medical doctor, writer, human rights activist and former prisoner of conscience. She currently edits at a Burmese magazine, Shwe Amyutay and a two-weekly journal, Info Digest; and also volunteers at a free clinic run by a local NGO. In October 1993, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “endangering public peace, having contact with illegal organizations, and distributing unlawful literature.” But in 1999, she was released due to declining health, increasing political pressure and the efforts of organizations like Amnesty International and PEN International. She was awarded several international human rights awards, including the Reebok Human Rights Award (1996), the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award (1996), Freedom of Speech Award (2011) and Disturbing the Peace; Courageous Writer at Risk Award (2016). From 2008 to 2010, she lived in the US as an International Writers Project Fellow at Brown University and a Fellow of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University. She was the very first elected president of PEN Myanmar (2013-16) and also elected as a board member of PEN International since 2016 October. Ma Thida’s most recent book, the English translation of her prison memoir Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard was published worldwide with the title of Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps through Insein in 2016 (Silkworm, Thailand). See also here.
Arvis Viguls (1987) mil-Latvja, huwa poeta u traduttur mill-Ingliż, ir-Russu u s-Serbo-Kroat. L-ewwel żewġ antoloġiji ppubblikati tiegħu, Istaba (Room, 2009) u 5:00 (2012), intlaqgħu tajjeb ħafna mill-kritiċi u wassluh biex jirbaħ diversi premjijiet, fosthom il-Premju Annwali tal-Letteratura Latvjana fil-kategorija tal-Aqwa Debutt tas-sena. Xogħlu ġie ukoll rikonoxxut bħala l-aqwa antoloġija tas-sena mill-festival prinċipali tal-Latvja, Poetry Days (Dzejas dienas). Il-poeżiji tiegħu dehru f’antoloġiji u rivisti tal-poeżija f’aktar minn erbatax-il lingwa. Fl-2017 għażla ta’ poeżiji tiegħu maqlubin għall-Ispanjol dehret fil-ktieb La caligrafía de la aguja (Valparaíso Ediciones). Viguls jgħix Riga, il-belt kapitali tal-Latvja, fejn jaħdem bħala traduttur. Fl-2017, intgħażel bħala wieħed mill-“Għaxar Ilħna Ġodda,” proġett internazzjonali li kull sena jippromovi x-xogħol ta’ għaxar awturi emerġenti Ewropej.
Arvis Viguls (1987) is a Latvian poet and translator from English, Russian and Serbo-Croatian. His first two poetry collections, «Istaba» (Room, 2009) and «5:00» (2012), were published to great critical acclaim and won him several prizes, including Annual Latvian Literature Award for the best debut of the year and Latvia’s main poetry festival’s Poetry Days (Dzejas dienas) prize for the best collection of the year. His poems have been published in anthologies and literature magazines in more than fourteen languages. In 2017, his selected poetry book “La caligrafía de la aguja” was published in Spanish translation by Valparaíso Ediciones. He lives in Riga, the capital of Latvia, where he works as a translator. In 2017, he was chosen as one of the “Ten New voices” — an international project that each year focuses on promoting work of ten emerging European authors.
Gjoko Zdraveski, li twieled f’Skopje fl-1985, jikteb poeżija, proża qasira u saġġi. Ħareġ erba’ kotba tal-poeżija: Palindrome with Double ‘N’ (2010), house for migratory birds (2013), belleove (2016), daedicarus icaral (2017). Il-poeżija tiegħu ġiet tradotta f’diversi lingwi Ewropej. Zdraveski ħa sehem f’diversi festivals tal-poeżija, fosthom il-Festival Voix Vives de Méditerranée en Méditerranée, Ledbury Poetry Festival, u Europejski Poeta Wolności (The European Poet of Freedom). Ilu involut fil-proġett Versopolis mill-2015.
Gjoko Zdraveski was born in Skopje in 1985. He writes poetry, short prose and essays. He has published four books of poetry: Palindrome with Double ‘N’ (2010), house for migratory birds (2013), belleove (2016), daedicarus icaral (2017). His poetry is translated into several European languages. He has been a part of several European poetry festivals including Festival Voix Vives de Méditerranée en Méditerranée, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Europejski Poeta Wolności (The European Poet of Freedom) etc. Since 2015 he has been part of Versopolis project.