Dar Camilleri will be launching the English translation of a Maltese language anthology comprising the most controversial literary texts published in Malta over the last 40 years, two of which have been censored, and one that also led to the prosecution and arraignment in court of its author, Alex Vella Gera. The Anthology of Mischievous Literature brings together a wide spectrum of authors, from Alfred Butti?ie? to Loranne Vella, Immanuel Mifsud, ?u?รจ Stagno, as well as Alex Vella Gera and Karl Schembri. The book also includes commentaries on each of the texts by Shana Tabone, Kat Storace, Mark Vella, James Debono, and Mark Camilleri, and is translated by Clare Vassallo.
In this anthology we find the return of the infamous short story by Alex Vella Gera, Li Tkisser Sewwi (Reap What You Sow) which was censored in 2009, the punk story by Karl Schembri from Il-Manifest tal-Killer (Killerยs Manifesto), the ยUltrasย of the working class by Immanuel Mifsud from L-Stejjer Strambi taย Sara Sue Sammut (The Strange Tales of Sara Sue Sammut), the story of the sperm told in the first person by Alfred Butti?ie? in Dik il-Qtajra (The Droplet) which was censored in the 1980s, the story of two women who fall in love by Loranne Vella in Dawn l-erbat ikmamar l’g?andi (These Four Rooms, translated by Kat Storace), and a section from ?u?รจ Stagnoยs debut novel Inbid taย Kuljum (Our Daily Wine).
Alfred Butti?ie?’s poe-prose story is a first-person narrative of a sperm that was conceived and grew into a baby. Alex Vella Vera’s text Reap what you sow is a first-person narrative of a Maltese man who ends up raping his girlfriend. It caused a lot of controversy when it was published, and many people mistook it for a pornographic story due to misogynistic views of women. Killer’s Manifesto was a story about a group of left-wing activists who freed a circus tiger. Ultras recounted the misadventures of a group of young, drug-addled hardcore football fans. Loranne Vella’s story These Four Rooms pioneered Malta’s LGBT literary trends while ?u?รจ Stagnoยs novel Our Daily Wine spoke to men who saw no meaning in life.
Mischievous literature is rare in Maltese but from the few examples that exist we have created a collection of entertaining works which are shocking, rebellious, and sometimes even philosophical. There is also political and social satire that is aimed at Malta and the Maltese.
This is a collection of texts of historical interest that are sharp and entertaining, with intelligent and profound commentaries that provide the historical and social context for these literary pieces.
The Anthology of Mischievous Literature will be published at Housmans Bookshop in London, on March 13th 18.30 HRS (King’s Cross). The featured author will be Loranne Vella.
Dar Camilleri
(ISBN: 978-1-3999-5580-5, UK Publication)
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Historian and Publisher
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