Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1176246
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2019 5 THIS WEEK BOOKS the best of times' not living in the best of times. Not all of us are, anyway. How do you hope this approach will affect the readers? Do you hope to inspire change or some revolution in the way people perceive the political discourse that surrounds Malta? Revolution? I have no hope that these stories are going to kindle some revolution in people's perception of things. First, because I'm not a revo- lutionary writer; second, be- cause I'm writing nothing new. The stories I'm publish- ing are the life and times of living people who are not en- joying the best of times. They have made the headlines as recently as this past summer. I'm venting out my anger, my mistrust, my frustration, but I harbour no high hopes these stories will move anyone to the point of inspiring change. Change comes through other means, not literature. Activ- ists can bring about change, not writers. And what about the literary scene? Do you think we need more local authors responding to these realities in just such a manner? Do you feel that perhaps, many other local writers opt to take a more secluded or comfortable view of their craft and supposed vocation? During a recent meeting for writers, called by the National Book Council, during which we discussed authors' rights, I urged fellow writers not to think too much about their rights without first assuming social and political responsi- bilities. That was a mistake on my part. I should have never made such a plea. A writer who writes love stories is no less of a writer than some- one who writes critically. Of course, I would be happier if all the writers were to re- spond critically to our times, but I don't think it is a duty. I should have never proposed authors what to write. That was one grave mistake. Mind you, I will probably commit it again. The final story in the collection actually folds in two very topical happenings into one horrific whole. How did the construction of this story take shape, vis-a-vis your alchemising the 'real life' events into your narrative structure? And would it be fair to say that the story expresses your own discomfort and disgust with certain aspects of Maltese masculinity? I am sure there is nothing particular with Maltese mas- culinity. It's the same as the British and Hungarian and Libyan and even Chilean, I would say. The final story in the col- lection is about hatred. I've always been intrigued by ha- tred: what makes people hate others? Why do some white people hate black ones? What makes them hate? Is it fear that makes one hate? Or insecurity? What would mo- tivate someone just to shoot, cold-bloodedly, another hu- man being which happens to be black? I honestly don't get it. The main character in the final story embodies hate. He perceives black people and ugly women, as deserving to be hated, as being objects of hate and ridicule, ultimately deserving to die. How can we explain this psychology of hate? Approaching the end of the story, something very ironical happened: I caught myself disliking the charac- ter so much that I was afraid I was going to end up doing exactly what he did: hate him. At that point I realised that it is not so difficult to start hat- ing. Yes, it is horrific. L-Aqwa Żmien will be launched at The Undercroft, Valletta on October 31 at 7.30pm. The collection is published by Klabb Kotba Maltin "Change comes through other means, not literature" Immanuel Mifsud: "Some love playing catchy tunes, I prefer a more sullen beat"