Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546398
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2026 CULTURE Acclaimed Spanish author Esther García Llovet will be a special guest at the Malta Book Festival The critically-acclaimed Spanish author Esther García Llovet will be a special guest at this year's edition of the Malta Book Festival, taking place at MFCC, Ta' Qali between 4 to 8 November THE critically-acclaimed Spanish author Esther García Llovet will be a special guest at this year's edition of the Malta Book Festival, taking place at MFCC, Ta' Qa- li between 4 to 8 November and organised by the National Book Council (NBC). García Llovet will be inter- viewed by interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker and researcher Charlie Cauchi on Friday, 6 November at 19:00 at the Sala tal-Kittieba. En- trance is free but registration is required via Submittable here. García Llovet's participation completes the roster of interna- tional guests at this year's Festival, which will also have the honour of hosting world-famous Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin. García Llovet was born in Mála- ga in 1963. She moved to Madrid in 1970 to study clinical psycholo- gy and film direction, and she has lived there ever since. She started writing in 2000 and has written eight novels, including the three novels of her acclaimed Snapshot Trilogy of Madrid. Spanish Beau- ty is the first episode of her new Trilogy of the Spanish Levant. Her works have achieved crit- ical success and cult status for their intense, cinematic style and offbeat Chandleresque realism. García Llovet writes for several different cultural anthologies and periodicals, is a translator from English and a well-respected pho- tographer. García Llovet's narrative works have carved a significant niche in international contemporary fiction; offering readers an un- filtered glimpse of present-day Spain. In Spanish Beauty, Llovet turns sleaze into oblique beauty, bringing in crime noir aesthetics to her depiction of the infamous portside party city of Benidorm; while The Times Literary Sup- plement describes Sánchez, her second work to be translated into English, as "a novel about the un- derbelly of glittering Madrid". "We are thrilled to host Esther García Llovet at this year's edi- tion of the Malta Book Festival, as she is an ideal fit for our event in so many ways. Her work is firmly steeped in the Mediterra- nean sensibility which will scan as familiar to Maltese readers despite the particularities of the Spanish setting," NBC Executive Chairperson Mark Camilleri said, while also thanking the Embassy of Spain in Malta for supporting the author's participation at the event. "Coupled with her grasp of both the cinematic idiom and play- ful interjection of crime fiction tropes, her slim but bracing nov- els allow the reader a glimpse into the real Spain – the kind they will not find on the tourist trail. They speak to literature's enduring ability to communicate beyond cliches and established narrative to reveal deeper truths. "So we once again invite visi- tors to Uncover the Story … and the many stories that will be on offer at the Malta Book Festival," Camilleri added. The Malta Book Festival will be taking place between 4-8 No- vember at the MFCC, Ta' Qali. Esther García Llovet will be in conversation with Charlie Cauchi during a public event on Friday, 6 November at 19:00. The event will be followed by a book signing. At- tendance is free but registration is required via Submittable. Esther García Llovet's participa- tion was made possible with the support of the Embassy of Spain in Malta