Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1245222
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2020 5 THIS WEEK LITERATURE extent would you say he's influenced your work? I have a profound respect for Imma- nuel Mifsud. His work was a wake-up call for me in many ways when I first came across it at the tender age of 17. Kimika was the first book of his that I had read, notable for its hard-hit- ting subject matter of drug abuse and prostitution and populated by dark but still resonant characters; all recounted through a very personal perspective, rather than the usual 'us and them' ap- proach. The fact that I could relate to such characters at 17 years old – just fresh from Church secondary – was mind-blowing. I also appreciated his writing style, with its short and direct sentences. I feel an affinity to this stylis- tic approach even as an author myself, because it makes the work all the more accessible. I started writing the manu- script for Kissirtu Kullimkien back in 2016, so its themes were directly in- spired by my own personal preoccupa- tions at the time. On the other hand, I was happy that Immanuel had launched L-Aqwa Żmien during a time when our literary scenario was very much in need of that kind of writing. A lot was hap- pening in the political sphere but no au- thor appears to have been writing about it in such a direct way. Actually, the fact remains that Immanuel is one of the very few local authors who are vocifer- ous on political issues. He is unshackled by petty concerns and his voice is honest and genuine. Though cynical at times, he remains a sensible human being who is kind to the world around him… something that al- so comes across in his writings, despite the darkness that otherwise character- ises it. As one of Malta's youngest published authors, what would you say are some of the key thematic and aesthetic pri- orities that you'd like to see tackled by your peers and yourself right now? I would be lying if I said that our scene didn't improve from when I first start- ed really getting into Maltese litera- ture, some 17 years ago. However, I feel there's a lot of room of improvement in terms of fiction writing, or at least a large chunk of it. There's very little vari- ety in theme and tone across the board, I feel. This may or may not be a result of our 'claustrophobic' geographical and cultural reality, in which we're all influencing each other without realis- ing it. The formation of certain 'literary circles', inevitable as they may be, also contributes to the relatively homoge- nous output we've been seeing. I also think that authors tend to tread too lightly when it comes to challenging subject matter. Literature must be a safe space, like all forms of art are, and the author should never be in a position where they have to dance around issues such as sex, drugs and other not-entirely-pleasant aspects of our society which are also, however, undeniably a part of our national char- acter. We also need to be more politi- cal in our outlook, and less concerned about any reputational fallout that may result as a result of our writing. What do you make of the local literary scene and what would you change about it, particularly in light of the fall- out of the COVID-19 pandemic? Publishers are certainly suffering due to this situation, but such struggles are hardly a new thing for the indus- try, which does its very best to provide us with the best possible books. The market for Maltese-published books is already tricky enough to begin with, given the obvious statistical limitations of the market – i.e., Maltese-speaking people who are also literarily-inclined – but the distribution situation plunges the knife even deeper. There's a highly unfair system at play, where a single massive distributor in Malta literally buys books from the publishers at a ridiculous prize – cut- ting off more than 50% to the retail selling price. The publisher, with the ridiculously remaining net price, has to pay off authors' royalties, design, proof- reading, printing and pay wages to their employees. The National Book Council has thankfully flagged this issue more than once. I hope it will be given pri- ority once all this is over, and that it is tackled in a way that benefits the pub- lishers, authors and readers. What's next for you? Currently, I am at crossroads, figuring out I had to change some crucial lanes in my life. So I am taking some time off to see where I want to be heading. However, writing has been with me for years and years, so it's a crucial basic necessity. I do hope that with an open mind and constructive criticism, my writing will develop further in the years to come. Kissirtu Kullimkien is published by Merlin Publishers "Halfway through my first book, I went through a nervous breakdown – the noise, the dust, the ongoing chaos – it was too much and since I was going through a stressful time of my life, this made things much worse" "The formation of certain 'literary circles', inevitable as they may be, also contributes to the relatively homogenous output we've been seeing" Lara Calleja