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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 JANUARY 2020 5 THIS WEEK LITERATURE Some poetry also reflects on those who are still captives and victims of their past; those who are still being labelled throughout the community. This suffering, reminiscent of the past years, is described in 'Naħfer, imma' which can be translated as 'I forgive, but' through metaphors such as wear- ing a humiliating sign on my back, dizziness as a result of intoxica- tion, eating the leftovers from the table and so on. In some poems, like 'Liberta' (Freedom) the reader is made to "feel" emptiness as well as deprivation: This is the guitar that I could never play, if only for a moment, so I could hear the singing snaking through the dejection of yesterday. ('Liberta' - translation) This set of poems, found in the first section of the book, expose grim truths about abuse: This is the fresh air that I have never felt inside the closed-in spaces that I've lived in. ('Liberta' – translation) Other poems address margin- alisation, like 'Ħajt' (Wall), 'Hekk iridu' (That's what they want), 'qaluli' (They told me), 'Kemm se ndum?' (For how long?) and backstabbing at the workplace: harshly criticising brownnos- ers, rumour-mongers and finger pointers, as in 'Dedika… b'sogħ- ba' (Dedication with distaste), 'Fi spazju bla lqugħ' (Unprotected space). Others commend hones- ty in life, as in 'Li kont' (If I were). So this leads to harsh criticism towards persons of trust who seem to be trapped in hubris. The ideal example of this is 'Xbajt' (I am tired of). Nepotism is, in my opin- ion, a toxic fact of life that snakes its way into each of its aspects, as I express in 'Ċrieki taċ-ċrieki', another concrete poem. The en- vironment is also a great concern of mine. To mention just one ex- ample, I express my rage at the shooting of a flamingo in 'Jittajjar ħieles' (Flying freely), an incident that unfortunately did not turn out to be an isolated case. There are, however, poems in the collection that may not be po- litical in the traditional sense of the word, focusing as they do on personal relationships, and tack- ling themes such as lack of com- munication in love, as in '… eċċ… eċċ…' (...etc...etc...) characterised by a number of metaphors which misguidedly suggest that they are about a complaining wife, ...when you tell me about my neighbour's house, the kids next door, the street nearby, ...etc...etc... (translation) However the last stanza then turns into an anti-climax: ...I'll tell you also I don't know if I've written these lines for you or for myself. (translation) Politics apart, in 'Xehir fis-skiet' one can find some very romantic poems too, like 'Tini waqt wieħed biss (Just give me one moment). What kind of role do you think poetry can play in the ongoing socio-political discourse, and how do you think this plays out in your work in particular? I am not contentious, but nei- ther am I passive or lackadaisical regarding social activity. I col- laborated with social activists, for example Roberto Malini, a poet from Milan also screenplay writer and documentary maker, who is co-president of EveryOne Group, an international human rights organisation. In Ondata di bombe su Bagdad (wave of bombs on Baghdad) which placed first in the National Poetry Competition, 2007, Italian Poetry Section and also first place in the Citta' di Pontinia, 2009, Po- eti Stranierii, I criticised the war in Iraq. While it is not included in 'Xehir fis-Skiet', this poem was anthologised in a number of books. I harshly criticise politicians who deceive the electorate by talking nonsense at them, as in 'bla bla bla' and 'Kif nivvota' (How I Vote), and when Daphne Caru- ana Galizia was brutally slain, I contributed my thoughts on the matter on the Genova Poesia on- line portal ('Malta, Daphne Caru- ana Galizia non c'è più'). However, I think that Xe- hir fis-Skiet could have taken a harsher stance against corrup- tion and the call for justice. This is a genuine self-criticism on my part). The reality is that at the time of writing, we had yet to learn about the incestuous rela- tionship between politically ex- posed people and criminals, that was one of the fallouts of the as- sassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. What do you make of the local literary scene? What would you change about it? Unfortunately, the local com- munity of authors is very small. This may lead to conforming to the same mindset and ideas. It's fine that there is a strong liberal, progressive movement which is sometimes very active, especially in favour of the safeguarding of agricultural and ODZ land, and against land speculation. How- ever I think that allowing space for differing, and even contrast- ing, opinions is also important, and even perhaps essential to the long-term health of the scene. Another issue is that of associ- ations. In Malta we are blessed to have different literary groups: Inizjamed, Għaqda tal-Malti, Maltese Poets Association and so on and so forth. Each has its own charisma. That's wonder- ful. However, being a small is- land may unfortunately lead to some tension between the vari- ous groups. The same thing may happen to individual authors. We have all heard stories of an author getting some great artis- tic opportunity even if they may be perceived as less competent than someone else, all because this one 'knows somebody'. Lob- bying happens in all countries, and we all have our own group of friends. But being a small island, this problem is amplified to the point where it can be perceived as nepotism. What's next for you? I will certainly continue to write poetry but I'm also keen to exper- iment with other forms, such as poetry, short fiction and perhaps novels. Who knows what the fu- ture will bring? Xehir Fis-Skiet is published by Horizons "We have all heard stories of an author getting some great artistic opportunity even if they may be perceived as less competent than someone else, all because this one 'knows somebody'" Omar Seguna