English text below.
Wasal iż-żmien għal Palk Ħieles ieħor.
Dan l-aħħar deċennju kien mimli ġrajjiet li qalbuna ta’ taħt fuq. Il-kitba tal-assurd spiss tipprova taqbad ma’ dawn is-sensazzjonijiet billi tesplora kitba bi struttura laxka ħafna, jew li tieħdok f’postijiet fejn il-loġika ma tersaqx.
Il-mistieden speċjali ta’ din l-edizzjoni hu Keith Borg. Borg jikteb il-proża u l-poeżija, imma fil-ġabra ta’ novelli Il-Parabboli tal-Imġienen Borg joħodna f’sitwazzjonijiet surreali, assurdi (imnebbħa wkoll mill-passi ta’ Borges) li jgħinuna nħarsu min-naħiet ġodda, lejn ir-realtà (stramba) li jkollna ngħixu.
Keith Borg (1984) studja l-Komunikazzjoni u l-Malti fl-Università ta’ Malta. Iggradwa b’Masters fit-Tradizzjoni Letterarja u l-Kultura Popolari (2014). Ħa sehem f’għadd ta’ iljieli letterarji, kemm lokali kif ukoll internazzjonali. Fl-2017 ippubblika l-ewwel ġabra ta’ poeżiji bit-titlu hemm qarsa fil-vers (Klabb Kotba Maltin). Ippubblika wkoll novella fl-antoloġija Skariġġi (2012) u xi poeżiji ġew tradotti u ippubblikati fil-Grieg u fis-Sloven. Fl-2021 ippubblika ktieb ta’ stejjer qosra, Il-Parabboli tal-Imġienen (Merlin Publishers), li kien nominat għall-‘Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb’ (2022). Fl-2023 ippubblika poeżija twila, magħġuna fit-tbenġil (Ede Books), bħala reazzjoni għall-qtil ta’ Bernice Cassar. Iħares lejn il-letteratura bħala mezz biex jifhem aħjar lid-dinja, il-bnedmin, u fuq kollox lilu nnifsu.
Ritratt ta’ Katel Delia.
Kienu s-siegħa ta’ filgħodu, kwart ta’ flixkun whisky jistedinni għal bewsa wara l-oħra sakemm ningħaqad mal-bqija ta’ ġismu. Kien ilu sagħtejn li telaq. Barra, il-ħsejjes tal-karozzi bdew inaqqsu. Jew jiżdiedu? Issa jien x’ jinteressani mill-karozzi u mill-għajta tal-qamar għal ftit wens. Ippruvajt inqum biex immur fil-kamra tas-sodda. Dardir u tqalligħ fl-istonku. Uġigħ ta’ ras taqsam. Erġajt ġibt quddiemi l-mixrub u s-sigriet li kien żvelali.
Kien raġel twil u pallidu. Is-sura ta’ wiċċu kont tista’ tagħsarha minn ħaddejh. Xagħru nokkli imgerfex, nuċċali qiegħ t’erba’ fliexken u nofs, libsa kannella mqanżħa, fi bnadi mraqqgħa, li probabbli ħallihielu missieru meta ltaqa’ m’ommu wara Woodstock. Iltqajt miegħu fil-bar tal-lukanda. Ma kontx ilni li poġġejt iżda ġa kien ġie tliet darbiet jitlobni bil-ħerqa biex jgħidli sigriet. U jien kull darba nibagħtu jieħdu, dejjem xi mkien differenti ħalli ma jiddejjaqx.
(Kitba ta’ Keith Borg mill-ġabra ta’ novelli “Il-Parabboli tal-Imġienen”.)
Il-Palk Ħieles se jittella’ nhar it-Tlieta 21 ta’ Mejju 2024, fis-7pm, fil-Kamra ta’ Fuq tan-New Life Bar, l-Imqabba.
Ħajr lil Art Sweven, lill-Kamra ta’ Fuq u lin-New Life Bar.
Ejjew, isimgħu, ħudu sehem.
Irreġistra minn hawn: https://forms.gle/qb9H7KEksfe2DVyg6
Iktar informazzjoni: https://www.facebook.com/events/815802250421027/
It’s time for another Open Mic.
The last decade was marked by a series of particularly disconcerting events. Absurd literature often tries to grapple with such sensations through texts that explore the limits of narrative structure, or which have a logic which is entirely their own.
The special guest of this event is Keith Borg. Borg writes both prose and poetry, but in his short-story collection “Il-Parabboli tal-Imġienen” (“Parables of the Insane”), Borg pushes us into situations that are surreal, absurd (with a strong nod towards Borges) which help us look at our daily (and strange) lived experience from a new viewpoint.
Keith Borg (1984) read for a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Maltese, and then for a master’s degree in Literary Tradition and Popular Culture, both at the University of Malta. He has taken part in various literary events, both in Malta and abroad. In 2017 he published his first poetry collection called hemm qarsa fil-vers (Klabb Kotba Maltin). He also published a novel in the Skariġġi anthology (2012), and some of his poems have been translated into Greek and Slovenian. His 2021 short-story collection Il-Parabboli tal-Imġienen (Merlin Publishers) was nominated for the national book prize. In 2023 he published the long poem magħġuna fit-tbenġil (Ede Books), as a reaction to the femicide of Bernice Cassar. He looks at literature as a way of better understanding the world, its people, and most of all, himself.
See you on Tuesday 21 May, at 7pm, at the New Life Bar in Imqabba.
Thanks to Art Sweven, il-Kamra ta’ Fuq Gallery and the New Life Bar for hosting us.
Come, listen, step up to the mic.
Register here: https://forms.gle/qb9H7KEksfe2DVyg6
More information: https://www.facebook.com/events/815802250421027/
