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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2020 12 Programme of events for the Malta Book Festival 2020 virtual edition published COMMERCIAL THE National Book Council has published the cultural pro- gramme for the 2020 Malta Book Festival, taking place online for the first time ever between 11–15 November. The specially curat- ed virtual edition aims to convey the same spirit of inventiveness, exchange and creativity as every year - this time to an even wider book-loving community. The entire programme, com- prising more than 60 events and activities spread across five days, includes a mix of book launch- es, presentations, meetings with authors, workshops and discus- sions, and a set of entertaining activities aimed for children. These will be streaming online on the National Book website and Facebook page. This year's special international guest is one of the most celebrat- ed authors of our time, Sir Salman Rushdie. He is the author of a handful of classic novels, includ- ing the acclaimed The Satanic Verses, The Moor's Last Sigh and his masterwork of magic realism, Midnight's Children, for which he won the prestigious Booker Prize. Rushdie has influenced a generation of writers and stands as both a pop culture icon and one of the most thought-provok- ing proponents for free speech today. On the evening of 11 Novem- ber, Rushdie will joining another towering figure of Maltese litera- ture and the recipient of the 2019 National Book Prize Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr Alfred Sant, for a conversation shed- ding light on the achievements, influences and current preoccu- pations of the two great writers. A day later, Sir Salman Rushdie will also be directly engaging with University students and readers from the general public in the form of a digital Q&A, organised in collaboration with the Depart- ment of English, University of Malta. The National Book Council is this year also organising a num- ber of thematic discussions fea- turing local and international au- thors, publishers and translators. 'Beyond Borders' reflects on lit- erary translation as a vital means to connect individuals at a time when our movements across the globe have become restricted, and brings together Eran Katz, the best-selling Israeli author of Secrets of a Super Memory and Jerome Becomes a Genius; Katri- na Storace, co-founder of Praspar Press, a recently established mi- cro publisher of contemporary Maltese literature in English and English translation; author and Arabic translator Walid Nabhan; Maltese publisher Chris Grup- petta; and Kristina Quintano, translator and publisher of Mal- tese works into Norwegian. Coinciding with the recent republication of the highly po- liticised cult-classic Il-Manifest tal-Killer, author Karl Schembri will be joined by writers Nadia Mifsud and Wayne Flask, and EDE Books founder Zvezdan Rel- jić for 'Words of Protest', an ex- change, moderatedby Dr Adrian Grima, on the various forms of literary expressions of protest in Malta taking place on Saturday 14 November. The last of the Festival's dis- cussions, this time on the influ- ence of various forms of literary publicity and criticism, ranging from traditional forms, end-of- year best books lists, book prizes, Goodreads and BookTube, and moderated by writer and journal- ist Teodor Reljić, will feature Jen Calleja translator from German of Marion Poschmann's The Pine Islands (Profile Books, 2019) and shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2019, Prof. Ivan Callus, lecturer of literary criticism and theory at the Uni- versity of Malta Department of English and Robert Pisani from the review blog The Bobsphere. Commemorating the recogni- tion of Dr Alfred Sant as the re- cipient of the 2019 National Book Prize Lifetime Achievement Award for a lifetime of contribu- tions to literature and the Mal- tese literary culture, the National Book Council will be premiering a new short documentary feature about Dr Alfred Sant's literary life as witnessed through five of his most acclaimed works. The film, produced by Take//Two and di- rected by Abigail Mallia will be premiering on Saturday 14 No- vember. Book launches and presenta- tions remain a staple part of the Festival with new publications by exhibitors AVC, BDL, Faraxa Publishing, Kite Group, Hori- zons, Merlin Publishers, Midsea Books and Klabb Kotba Maltin, and Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Notable book presentations in- clude the upcoming new edition of Dante Alighieri's La Divina Commedia, which will be pub- lished in 2021 on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Dante's death, and the 39th issue of Leħen il-Malti by Għaqda tal-Malti – Università. The full programme of the Malta Book Festival 2020 can be viewed online. For the latest 2020 Malta Book Festival updates follow the Coun- cil's website (www.ktieb.org.mt) and FB page - National Book Council (Malta). HIGH-END womenswear brand Diane de Malherbe will soon open an exclusive pop-up boutique in Malta for a limited time only, where she will be showing her latest collection, the Caravage collection inspired by Malta. French designer Diane de Malherbe de- signed for several big-name brands in- cluding Céline, Lanvin and Ralph & Russo before launching her own in 2018, now based between Paris and Malta. Each of the brand's unique collections, which in- clude ready-to-wear, evening wear and bridal dresses, combine Ms de Malherbe's taste for elegance and luxury, with natu- ral elements, fine tailoring and historical sources. Often inspired by nature, art and litera- ture, de Malherbe has opted to use Malta's landscapes as well as the island's cultural and artistic influences as inspiration for her latest collection, Caravage. The Caravage 2020 collection will be available to view at the pop-up boutique, which will be open for ten days only at the end of October in Sliema. The pop-up boutique will be open on Triq il-Kbira in Sliema between 22 Octo- ber and 1 November. Due to the prevailing Covid situation, de Malherbe will be showing the collec- tion, together with items from her first collection, by exclusive appointment only, which can be booked in advance. MALTCO Lotteries has always placed employee and management training and development at its forefront of its priorities. Success in today's highly competitive digital world depends not only on the latest technology, but also on the company's ability to recognise the need to invest in its' people. Maltco Lotteries has commissioned the services of StreetHR to provide a 10-week Management Develop- ment Programme to improve in vital skills needed to keep employees and managers motivated, productive, up- dated to skills required. Some of the topics covered were, Leadership & Management, Generating a Motivat- ed & Skilled Workforce, Managing Performance, Communication, Time Management, Managing Stress & Confrontation and Leading Change & Innovation. This venture was done in collaboration with JobsPlus using the Investing in Skills Scheme, and al- though due to COVID-19 there were some space and time limited, the re- maining training has been completed online. CEO of Maltco Lotteries Vasileios Kasiotakis, stated "As management we are not only responsible of our employees, our agents and their as- sistants good working conditions but also their continuous skills update and upgrade. Training to all is core to Maltco Lotteries philosophy and practice, from the first day of every- one cooperating with the company''. The company will continue in in- vesting in training initiatives to en- hance the skills of all its' workforce, and in particular train all supervisors and team leaders. For more informa- tion you may email info@maltco.net , visit the company's website, social media pages or call Maltco's Helpline on 23883333 which will remain open during the suspension period. Diane de Malherbe opens exclusive pop-up boutique for limited time only Maltco Lotteries invests in training for management