Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/433160
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2014 35 BOOKS POET Carmel Attard died in 1994 at the age of 51. He was known for his protest poetry and the deep in- sight shown in his reflec- tions. He published two books of lyrics, Taħt qillet ix-Xemx in 1972 and Lam- para in 1980. A selection of his unpublished work is being published by Hori- zons together with a biog- raphy of the poet written by his friend the author Paul P. Borg. The book is called ...maq ful fil-ħabs ta' ġbini..., (literally, 'locked in the prison of my mind') aptly called by the biogra- pher using a phrase from the poet's own lyrics to in- dicate the life-long anxi- ety that afflicted the poet, imprisoning him as it were in his thoughts emanating from mental suffering. Being close friends with Attard since early childhood all through the poet's turbulent life, Borg is able to trace and recount incredible episodes in life's ups and downs that created inevitably profound poetry exposing the human soul to the suf- fering stemming from the illusions that life can bring about. Borg re- counts where their two lives met and is able to depict the brave en- deavours of his gentle friend in his attempts to be accepted by a society that would not shed easily its stig- ma. Those were days when society and even some institutions, perhaps unknowingly even castigated those needing special care or those who were brave enough to take decisions in their intimate personal life, espe- cially where love was concerned. Horizons publishes new collection by poet Carmel Attard SOMETIMES you just want a cozy read, a timeless kids-solving-mys- tery adventure story that reminds you of the fun reading all those Fa- mous Five Enid Blyton stories. And while our excuse it to buy them "for the kids", it's just as much fun to read them ourselves too. Merlin Publishers has just pub- lished two new books in a series of just this sort of adventure stories, in Maltese. Il-Misteri ta' Thea is aimed at children aged 9 or 10 upwards, and their parents. And grandpar- ents. A huge hit in their native Italy, where the series boasts more titles, these have been translated into Mal- tese by award-winning author Rita Saliba. The central characters in both novels are Thea, a feisty young girl who gets sent to spend her summer holidays with her aunt in a small seaside town in Italy. There she meets Nick, a boy who she initially mistrusts but eventually grows fond of, and the two children – together with Thea's dog Zorro – get them- selves into all sorts of mystery and trouble. Always, needless to say, with a happy ending and with more common sense between the two of them than the adults in the stories. All the classic elements of the genre are present, and each of the books makes for fantastic relaxing reading. The first book, Il-Misteru tal-Labirint, has Thea and Nick dis- covering a secret labyrinth beneath the Etruscan remains in the town of Altafonte where Thea is spending her summer. Things are quite clear- ly not as they seem, as this appar- ently quiet town has an underbelly of secrets and crime. The second book is Il-Misteru tad- Dniefel tal-Ġebel and here Thea and Nick find a purse at the train station, belonging to an elderly woman who has just arrived in town by train. They set off to look for her, their on- ly clue the mention by the woman of a house adorned with stone dolphin statues. The search is not as easy as they think, as no one seems to have seen, or heard of, this woman. Both books in the series Il-Misteri ta' Thea are available from all good bookshops, or directly online from www.merlinpublishers.com Italian kids' tales of plucky derring-do