Saviour Pirotta is not a household name. But it should be.
Search the name on timesofmalta.com and the only entries probably accessible are those connected to NotteBianca, in which he was supposed to participate, twice. But alas, Notte Bianca came and went, twice, but Saviour made no appearance.
Search his name on Google, and I can assure you the outcome will be very different.
I’ve known Saviour since I was in my mother’s womb. I have countless baby pictures of me and Saviour and countless kiddies books which were written by him. For that’s his job – one which he has truly mastered ever since writing and publishing his first children’s book in 1986, titled The Idiot King.
Some 106 books later, translated in no less than 28 languages, Saviour Pirotta is a household name in the UK, especially with children. So why is it that in Malta Saviour’s name hardly rings a bell, except in theatre or literary circles at the very best?
Profession: Author of children’s books. The thought brings a smile to my face each and every time. I am so proud to know him, even though his fondest memories of me are those in which I was donning nothing more than a nappy and my most profound of words was “bukka”.
On one of his rare visits to the island (he has only been to Malta three times in the last 10 years), for his brother’s 25th wedding anniversary, and believe it or not for the Naxxar festa, I caught up with him at St James Cavalier for a spot of lunch and a good chat.
I found Saviour sipping a drink and typing away at his tiny silver MacBook Air. After showering one another with mutual affection at the long due reunion, conversation quickly swayed towards his latest book and project.
Saviour and I have been corresponding electronically for a while now, and he has been divulging sumptuous details about his latest, highly-anticipated book for well over a year. Well, the publication date has finally arrived: Although the book was launched in the US on September 12, the UK release is taking place today.
Titled Firebird, anyone finding themselves in the UK over the coming days will have the opportunity of nicking a fresh-from-theprinters copy off one of the shelves in any major UK bookstore.
Saviour narrates how the Firebird story is a Russian folk tale that inspired Igor Stravinsky’s ballet by the same name. The story revolves around an “idiot” prince by the name of Ivan. He tells me that Ivan, the protagonist, is the equivalent of the Maltese Ġaħan, and how the story ultimately talks about the conquering of one’s fears. Besides being an endearing story, however, in which the underdog triumphs over all, this book is also gorgeously illustrated by fine artist Catherine Hyde. And although I might not have yet read the book, seeing a few of her paintings imbued with such a pulsating warmth, I feel she has already given life to the stories’ characters.
Although Saviour is a best-selling children’s author in the UK, his fame has not reached us. For some reason, he has shied away from interviews and press coverage in Malta and I am just dying to know why. He tells me matter-of-factly that “in Malta you can’t really tell whether you’re any good at something” because of the limitations imposed by the insularity of a small island; I guess one just has to try and swim with the big fish.
Saviour might have been born in Malta but he is now a British writer – he admits “it is very difficult to keep one’s cultural identity after having been away for so long.
“The UK is now my home. Malta feels like a film set: Valletta brings back memories of Midnight Express, while The Inland Sea reminds me of Clash of the Titans,” he said.
His artistic career started out at drama school, where he tried his hand at direction, but from the onset he knew that what he really wanted to be doing was writing. He said that if he stuck to living in Malta, his writing would probably be limited to something he did “on the side”, whereas in the UK it has been his sole profession for 25 years. At present, Saviour’s agents are the prestigious creative firm LAW (Lucas Alexander Whitley Ltd) while his publishers include Templar and Orchard Books in the UK and Mondadori in Italy, just to name few.
He then describes his fascination with myths and truths and how his name and his writings have now become associated with the “exotic”. Funny how many associate the word exotic with Gauguin’s Tahiti or with the luscious white beaches of Thailand, but Malta? A Mediterranean exoticism. What a wonderful picture those few words paint.
For that is what Saviour is – a painter of words: He creates fantastical worlds in which children, parents and the young at heart can immerse themselves; worlds which spring to life thanks to a fertile and versatile imagination in which pirates, alien plants and mythological Greek heroes and heroines are born, or re-born.
When I think of Saviour and his many wondrous books, I am transported back to my childhood, to a time where my evenings were spent tucked up in bed next to my mum soaking up every picture, word and detail found in any one of his books. And again, I feel so proud to know him
www.spirotta.com
www.firebirdstories.com