Il-Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta' Malta / Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival
L-Awturi Mistiedna / The Guest Authors

L-Awturi Mistiedna / The Guest Authors

English texts follow the versions in Maltese.

Iltaqa’ mal-kittieba mistiedna għall-Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta’ Malta – is-26 u t-27 ta’ Awwissu 2022

Meet the authors taking part in the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival – 26 & 27 August 2022

Jacobo Bergareche | Antoinette Borg | Bella Cox | Aleks Farrugia | Adrian Grima | Julia Musakovska I Claudio Pozzani | Lamis Saidi

Jacobo Bergareche

Jacobo Bergareche

Jacobo Bergareche (1976) twieled f’Londra. Huwa studja l-Belle Arti fl-Università Complutense ta’ Madrid, u kiseb BFA fil-Kitba, il-Letteratura u l-Pubblikazzjoni mill-Kulleġġ Emerson f’Boston. Ħadem bħala kittieb tal-iskripts u showrunner f’serji fittizzji fin-networks ewlenin Spanjoli. Huwa l-awtur tal-ġabra poetika Playas (2004), is-serje tat-tfal Aventuras en Bodytown (2017) u r-rumanzi Estaciones de regreso (2019) u Los días perfectos (2021). Huwa jikkontribwixxi artikli ta’ opinjoni, reċensjonijiet ta’ kotba, u stejjer tal-ivvjaġġar għal diversi gazzetti ewlenin fi Spanja. Fl-2022, intgħażel bħala r-rappreżentant ta’ Spanja fil-Premju tal-Letteratura għall-Unjoni Ewropea.

Jacobo Bergareche (1976) abandoned his Fine Arts studies in Madrid to study Literature and Writing at Emerson College in Boston. He combines writing with his work as a producer and scriptwriter of series. He is author of the poem collection Playas (2004), the play Coma (2015), the series of children’s books Aventuras en Bodytown (2017), the autobiographical novel about his brother’s murder Estaciones de regreso (2019) and the novel Los días perfectos (2021). He lived in Austin, Texas, for four years, and was able to conduct research into the private correspondence of various writers at the Harry Ransom Center; Los días perfectos is one of the fruits of that research. In 2022, he was awarded the European Union Prize for Literature. He lives in Madrid with his wife and three daughters.


Antoinette Borg

Antoinette Borg

Antoinette Borg (1973) ipparkjat karriera ta’ 20 sena fil-qasam finanzjarju biex tipprova twettaq il-ħolma ta’ tfulitha li tikteb ktieb. Dan seħħ fl-2015, u s-sena ta’ wara ppubblikat l-ewwel rumanz tagħha; f’dawn l-aħħar seba’ snin kitbet u ttraduċiet bosta kotba għat-tfal, iż-żgħażagħ, u l-adulti. Fl-2018 intgħażlet bħala l-Aqwa Awtriċi Emerġenti mill-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb.

Fost ix-xogħlijiet ta’ Borg hemm tliet rumanzi oriġinali għaż-żgħażagħ – Fittixni u Amina, li t-tnejn li huma rebħu l-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb fil-kategorija tagħhom, u (Ri)ġenerazzjoni, li rebaħ il-Konkors Letteratura għaż-Żgħażagħ. Dan l-aħħar Antoinette ppubblikat it-traduzzjoni tagħha għall-Malti ta’ La Forma dell’Acqua, l-ewwel rumanz fis-serje tal-Ispettur Montalbano ta’ Andrea Camilleri. Borg tħobb ħafna l-ilsien Malti u taffaxxina ruħha b’diversi aspetti tal-ħajja umana, fosthom it-tfulija u l-vjaġġ tagħna lil hinn minnha, l-identità, il-maternità, ir-rakkuntar tal-istejjer, u l-kreattività. 

Antoinette Borg (1973) parked her 20-year financial career to chase her childhood dream of writing a book. The following year she published her first novel, and seven years on, she has written and translated several books for children, teens and adults. In 2018 she won the Best Emerging Author prize awarded by the Malta National Book Council.

Antoinette’s works include three original novels for young adults – Fittixni and Amina, both of which went on to win the National Book Prize in their category, and (Ri)ġenerazzjoni, winner of the Maltese Literary Contest of Novels for Youth. She has just published her Maltese translation of La Forma dell’Acqua, the first novel in the Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri. Antoinette is in love with the Maltese language and is fascinated by many aspects of human life, including childhood and our journey away from it, identity, motherhood, storytelling and creativity.


Bella Cox

Bella Cox by KojoStein

Bella Cox (1993) hija artista rikonoxxuta internazzjonalment. Hija poeta, performer, faċilitatriċi ta’ workshops, u preżentatriċi. Ħadmet fil-Kenja, l-Afrika t’Isfel, u madwar ir-Renju Unit. Hija alumna tal-Barbican Young Poets għal tliet darbiet, ġiet nominata darbtejn għall-premju Young People’s Laureate for London, u fl-2018 kienet membru ta’ diversi kollettivi poetiċi. Qrat xogħlijietha f’TEDx Pretoria, l-iSköll World Forum, il-Brighton Literature Festival, il-Bi Pride UK, u l-Brainchild Festival. Ġiet ikkummissjonata biex tikteb għal istituzzjonijiet bħall-HSBC, it-Time Out London, il-Bach Remedies, u n-Nationwide Building Society. Xogħolha jiċċelebra l-elementi queer u femministi, u jfittex li jħaddan id-differenzi, isaħħaħ liż-żgħażagħ, u jesplora l-identità tagħha. Bħalissa qed tagħsar il-ħin sabiex tikteb minkejja l-irwol tagħha ta’ maniġer tal-marketing filwaqt li qed taħdem fuq l-ewwel ġabra poetika tagħha li għandha toħroġ fl-aħħar tal-2022.

 

Bella Cox (1993) is an internationally acclaimed artist. She is a poet, performer, workshop facilitator, MC, and event producer who has worked in Kenya, South Africa, and around the UK. She is a three-time Barbican Young Poets alumna, a twice-nominated young people’s laureate for London, and was a member of multiple poetry collectives throughout 2018. She has performed her work at events such as TEDx Pretoria, Sköll World Forum, Brighton Literature Festival, Bi Pride UK, and Brainchild festival and has been commissioned to write for institutions such as HSBC, Time Out London, Bach Remedies and Nationwide Building Society. Her proudly queer and feminist work seeks to embrace differences, empower young people, and explore her own identity. She currently squeezes writing time around her Marketing Manager role and is working on her debut poetry collection set to release at the end of 2022.

Instagram: @BellaCoxPoet Twitter: @BellaCox19 Facebook: @Bella Cox Website: www.BellaCox.com

Photo by Kojo Stein


Aleks Farrugia

Aleks Farrugia

Aleks Farrugia (1978) huwa awtur, ġurnalist, u edukatur. L-ewwel xogħol li ppubblika kien Iħirsa fil-Mera fl-1997, dramm li kien issemma b’tifħir fil-Konkors Francis Ebejer. Fl-2016 huwa ħareġ ir-rumanz bl-Ingliż Grasshopper, li kien finalist tal-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb. Fl-2020 rebaħ il-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb għall-ġabra ta’ novelli Għall-Glorja tal-Patrija, maħruġ fl-2019. Fl-2021 huwa ħareġ ir-rumanz Camerata!, li huwa finalist fil-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb ta’ din is-sena. Wara nuqqas ta’ aktar minn għoxrin sena mit-teatru, Farrugia rritorna għall-kitba teatrali permezz ta’ Ġiraffa Ħarbet minn Kastilja, li ttellgħet din is-sena fi Spazju Kreattiv u ntlaqgħet tajjeb mill-pubbliku u mill-kritiċi. Aktar tard din is-sena mistenni joħroġ ir-rumanz ta’ satira politika, Ir-Re Borg. Farrugia ppubblika wkoll artikli akkademiċi dwar it-teatru, l-istorja, u l-filosofija. 

Aleks Farrugia (1978) is an author, journalist and educator. His first published work was Iħirsa fil-Mera (1997), a play that obtained an honourable mention in the National Competition for Playwriting in Malta. He published his first novel in English, Grasshopper, in 2016, which was shortlisted for the National Book Prize. In 2019, he published Għall-Glorja tal-Patrija, a collection of short stories, which won the National Book Prize 2020. In 2021 he published Camerata! which has been shortlisted for the National Book Prize 2022. In November 2022 he will be publishing Ir-Re Borg, a novel of political satire. After having abandoned the theatre in his twenties, he made a comeback in 2022 with the absurdist play Ġiraffa Ħarbet minn Kastilja, which proved to be highly successful with critics and public alike. Farrugia has also published academic papers about theatre, history and philosophy.


Adrian Grima

Adrian Grima Virginia Monteforte

Adrian Grima (1968) jikteb poeżiji u novelli għall-kbar u għat-tfal li rebħu premjijiet nazzjonali u internazzjonali. Ħa sehem f’avvenimenti letterarji madwar id-dinja u traduzzjonijiet tal-kotba tiegħu ħarġu l-Alġerija, l-Eġittu, il-Ġermanja, l-Indja, l-Irlanda, u l-Italja. Bejn l-1998 u l-2018 kien il-koordinatur ta’ Inizjamed. Jista’ jkun li l-passjoni tiegħu għall-kulturi tal-Mediterran ġejja mill-fatt li bużnannuh Pietru Grima twieled u trabba Korfù. Grima jgħallem il-letteratura Maltija u r-rappreżentazzjonijiet letterarji tal-Mediterran fl-Università ta’ Malta u l-ilsien Malti fl-INALCO ta’ Pariġi. L-aktar pubblikazzjonijiet riċenti tiegħu huma Skizzi għas-Sette Giugno u Skizzi għal Ibni, b’mużika jazz ta’ Dominic Galea, u qed iħejji ġabra ta’ novelli għall-kbar.

Adrian Grima (1968) writes poetry and short stories for adults and children that have won national and international awards. He has read at literary events around the world and translations of his books have been published in Algeria, Egypt, Germany, India, Ireland, and Italy. In 1998 he co-founded Inizjamed and served as coordinator until 2018. His passion for Mediterranean cultures may have stemmed from the fact that his great-grandfather Pietru Grima was a Corfiot whose Maltese ancestors settled in Corfu in the early 19th century. Grima teaches Maltese literature and literary representations of the Mediterranean at the University of Malta and Maltese language at INALCO in Paris. His most recent publications are Skizzi għas-Sette Giugno (Sketches for the Sette Giugno riots) u Skizzi għal Ibni (Sketches for my son), with jazz music by Dominic Galea, and he is preparing a collection of short stories for adults for publication.

adriangrima.com

Photo by Virginia Monteforte


Julia Musakovska

Juliaa Musakovskaby Nastya Telikova

Julia Musakovska (1982) twieldet fi Lviv, l-Ukrajna. Hija poetessa, traduttriċi, u membru tal-fergħa Ukrena tal-PEN. Ippubblikat ħames ġabriet ta’ poeżiji bl-Ukren, The God of Freedom (2021), Men, Women and Children (2015), Hunting the Silence (2014), Masks (2011), u Exhaling, Inhaling (2010). Rebħet diversi premji letterarji Ukreni fosthom il-premju DICTUM mid-dar tal-pubblikazzjoni Krok, u l-premji Smoloskyp, Ostroh Academy Vytoky, Bohdan Antonych, u Hransolov. Il-poeżija tagħha ġiet tradotta f’aktar minn 15-il lingwa u ppubblikata f’rivisti u antoloġiji varji f’diversi pajjiżi. Musakovska ttraduċiet poeżija Żvediża għall-Ukren u awturi kontemporanji Ukreni għall-Ingliż. Kisbet Maġisteru fl-Affarijiet Barranin mill-Università Nazzjonali ta’ Lviv, l-Ukrajna, u ilha taħdem fl-informatika mill-2007.

Julia Musakovska (1982) was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She is an award-winning Ukrainian poet, translator, and PEN Ukraine member. She has published five books of poetry in Ukrainian, The God of Freedom (2021),  Men, Women and Children (2015), Hunting the Silence (2014), Masks (2011), and Exhaling, Inhaling (2010). Her numerous literary awards in Ukraine include the DICTUM Prize by Krok Publishing House, the Smoloskyp Poetry Award, the Ostroh Academy “Vytoky” Award, the Bohdan Antonych Prize and the Hranoslov Award. Her works have been translated into over fifteen languages and published in various magazines and anthologies in many countries. Musakovksa translated Swedish poetry into Ukrainian and contemporary Ukrainian authors into English. She received her Master’s degree in International Affairs from the National University in Lviv, Ukraine, and has been working in information technologies since 2007.

Photo by by Nastya Telikova

Claudio Pozzani

Claudio Pozzani

Claudio Pozzani (1961) twieled f’Ġenova, l-Italja. Huwa poeta, narratur, u mużiċista. Il-poeżiji tiegħu ġew tradotti u ppubblikati f’aktar minn għaxar lingwi u jaqra xogħlu fl-aktar festivals internazzjonali importanti. Fl-1995 Pozzani ħoloq il-Festival tal-Poeżija Internazzjonali ta’ Ġenova, Parole spalancate, l-akbar avveniment ta’ poeżija fl-Italja u bl-itwal storja, u li tiegħu għadu d-direttur. Organizza wkoll diversi avvenimenti ta’ poeżija fl-Ewropa (il-Belġju, Franza, il-Finlandja, u l-Ġermanja) u fil-Ġappun. Fl-2001 waqqaf id-Dar tal-Poeżija f’Ġenova.

Ix-xogħlijiet l-aktar riċenti tiegħu huma s-CD/ktieb b’poeżija u mużika La Marcia dell’ombra, l-antoloġija Spalancati spazi – Poesie 1995 – 2016 (2017), u d-DVD tal-qari-kunċert lajv mal-PoetOrchestra La realtà della speranza. Fl-2019 id-direttur Fabio Giovinazzo ħadem il-film L’Anima nel ventre bbażat fuq il-poeżiji tiegħu.

Claudio Pozzani (1961) is a poet, narrator and musician. His poems have been translated and published into more than ten languages and he performs in the most important international literary and poetry festivals. In 1995 Pozzani founded the Genoa International Poetry Festival, Parole spalancate, the oldest and biggest poetry event in Italy of which he is still the director. He has also organized several poetry events in Europe (Belgium, France, Finland, Germany) and Japan. In 2001 he founded the House of Poetry in Genoa. 

As an author, his latest works are the CD/book with poetry and music La Marcia dell’ombra (2010), the anthology Spalancati spazi – Poesie 1995 – 2016 (2017), the DVD of the live reading-concert with the PoetOrchestra La realtà della speranza.
In 2019 the director Fabio Giovinazzo directed the film L’Anima nel ventre based on his poems.

Lamis Saidi

Lamis Saidi

Lamis Saidi (1981) hija poetessa u traduttriċi  Alġerina. Ippubblikat diversi kotba: Just above silence (2020), Like a dwarf inching toward legend (2019), Like a devastated city (2017), Room 102 (2015), To the movies (2011), u As always, I forgot my bag (2007). Bħalissa qed taħdem fuq l-istorja tal-poeżija moderna Alġerina, tittraduċi poeti Alġerini mill-aħħar seklu, u tirriċerka l-kuntest politiku u kulturali li l-poeżija żviluppat fih. Barra minn hekk, ittraduċiet poeżiji, rumanzi, novelli, u drammi mill-Franċiż, l-Ingliż, u l-Ispanjol għall-Għarbi.

Saidi tanima wkoll spazji kulturali u workshops tal-kitba, waqt li pparteċipat f’diversi festivals letterarji madwar id-dinja.

Lamis Saidi, an Algerian poet and translator. She has published several books: Just above silence (2020), Like a dwarf inching toward legend (2019), Like a devastated city (2017), Room 102 (2015), To the movies (2011) and As always, I forgot my bag (2007). Saidi is currently working on the history of modern Algerian poetry, translating Algerian poets from the last century, and researching the political and cultural context in which that poetry developed. Besides, she has translated poetry, novels, short stories and plays, from French, English and Spanish into Arabic.

Lamis also animates cultural spaces and writing workshops, and has participated in several literary festivals throughout the world.

Photo by by Nastya Telikova