Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/758493
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2016 16 News Vella Gera wins book prize after snubbing ceremony in protest at Castille AUTHOR Alex Vella Gera's novel 'Trojan' has won the National Book Prize for the best romantic novel of the year, during a ceremony at Cas- tille that he had snubbed in protest at the government's scandals. Ahead of the ceremony, Vella Gera posted a picture on Facebook of the torn up invitation and said that holding the award ceremony at the seat of government made Maltese literature complicit with power. "I have nothing against the Book Council but against the present government and the long list of atrocities that cling to its shoes like dog droppings," he said. "Wiping one's heels is not enough to remove the filth. The smell remains and can be smelled all over Malta…Nothing less than the whole shoe must be changed. "Participating in this ceremony as a guest would be hypocrisy." Elsewhere, Trevor Zahra's 'Ves- pri', a book of short stories that tackle existential dilemmas on re- ality, love and death, was named best novel of the year, while Nadia Mifsud won the best poem of the year award with 'Kantuniera 'l Bog- hod'. Pointing out that members of the Book Council had stressed the im- portance that this ceremony take place at Castille "so as to keep the income from government funds coming in" the author of Is-Sriep Regghu Saru Velenuzi and Trojan said holding the award ceremony at the seat of government weak- ened Maltese literature by making it complicit with power. "Personally, I cannot form part of this dynamic." In 2009, Vella Gera and editor of student newspaper Mark Camill- eri – who now heads the National Book Council - were prosecuted for offending public morals by publish- ing content of a sexually explicit nature. In February 2012, both Camilleri and Vella Gera were ac- quitted of any wrongdoing follow- ing public outrage and the creation of an anti-censorship movement. The Brussels-based Vella Gera stressed that he had nothing against the prize itself or the Book Coun- cil, but against "the present gov- ernment and the long list of filthy epoisodes that clung to its shoes like dog droppings." Vella Gera said he felt that as an author, his role should be to act as a form of conscience that addresses power without fear or compromise. "Participating in this ceremony as a guest would be hypocrisy." "Before the Nationalists jump on the bandwagon of this symbolic protest of mine, I encourage them to remember that their party had tried to portray me as a paedophile, an act for which they have never apologised. If Muscat and his clique are the filthy left shoe, the right isn't very clean either. Both shoes must change." Full list of prizes Best novel: Trevor Zahra – 'Vespri' Best romantic novel: Alex Vella Gera: 'Trojan' Best poetry book: Nadia Mifsud: 'Kantuniera l' Boghod' Best traditional book: Edmund Teuma: 'L-Iljieli Gharbin' Best general research book: Gerald Bugeja: 'Antonio Sciortino: The Lost Album' Best historical research book: Keith Sciberras: 'Caravaggio to Mattia Preti: Baroque Painting in Malta' and George Pisani: 'The Battle of Lepanto: An Unpublished Hospitalier Account' Best book production: BirdLife Malta: 'History of Ornithology in Malta' Special poetry nomination: Victor Fenech: 'Doreen Micallef: il-Poeziji, il-Konferenza' Emerging talent award: Leanne Ellul Lifetime literary award: Mario Azzopardi Alex Vella Gera: holding the award ceremony at the seat of government makes Maltese literature complicit with power