Gozo, with its tranquil lanes, wraparound sea views and reflective gaze over the channel to Malta, is the perfect writer’s muse. And, while the Maltese language was only written down relatively recently compared to other European tongues, once Gozitan authors got going, they created a broad body of work. International authors have been inspired by the island in their turn; we take a look at the resulting publications.

• Gozo’s literary darlings

It is thought that the Gozo literary scene really kicked off around 1700, when Jaħasra Mingħajr Ħtija (Unfortunately Innocent) was written. Sadly that particular poet’s identity has been lost in the mists of time but nowadays, dozens of titles get published annually from the island.

Freya Barrington, who also lives in Gozo, hit the UK Amazon bestseller list with her book Known to Social Services.Freya Barrington, who also lives in Gozo, hit the UK Amazon bestseller list with her book Known to Social Services.

Currently, Gozo’s most famous bookish son is Pierre J. Mejlak. Mejlak’s collection of short stories, Dak li l-Lejl Iħallik Tgħid (What the Night Lets You Say) was honoured with the European Union Prize for Literature in 2014. His previous collection, the intriguingly titled Qed Nistenniek Nieżla max-Xita (I am Waiting for You to Fall with the Rain) was partially inspired by his memories of growing up in Qala, where he learned to observe human behaviour from beneath the billiards table at the Nationalist Party club there, while he waited for his parents.

• Island poets

The island seems to inspire poets in particular, with John Cremona of Xagħra writing beautiful poetry in three languages; one of his war poems was read aloud by Queen Elizabeth II. And when Anton Buttigieg wasn’t otherwise engaged being the President of the Republic, he was penning romantic verses to delight and torment by turns future students of Maltese literature.

Anton Attard has spent over 50 years writing poetry and has delivered eight collections along the way. Meanwhile, Mary Meilak carried the literary torch for Gozitan women, writing poetry, novels and opera in the mid-1900s. Their contributions, and that of many other Gozitan authors are summed up by Joe M. Attard in his book Profili ta’ Kittieba Għawdxin.

Italian writer Frederico Chini set his novel The Sea of Forgotten Memories on the island of Gozo.Italian writer Frederico Chini set his novel The Sea of Forgotten Memories on the island of Gozo.

• International inspiration

Gozo has also been the catalyst to inspire numerous international writers. Perhaps the most famous is Nicholas Monsarrat who wrote The Kappillan of Malta while he lived in San Lawrenz in the 1970s. The book chronicles the life of a parish priest, Dun Salvatore, during World War II as he looks after the poor during six days of the siege.

The late Gozo-based author A.J. Quinell (a pen name for Philip Nicholson) wrote his book Man on Fire (1981) after travelling to the island while doing research for the novel. He liked the place so much that he stayed. The book was made into a film twice, the second version starring Denzel Washington. That helped revive the fortunes of the original text and it made it to the New York Times bestseller list in 2004, selling more than eight million copies worldwide.

The plot follows an ex-mercenary named Creasy as he takes a job guarding the young daughter of an Italian magnet. The cynical hard-man is gradually won over by this charming child until disaster strikes; then Creasy’s thirst for revenge knows no bounds.

Freya Barrington, who also lives in Gozo, hit the UK Amazon bestseller list in 2014

Italian writer Frederico Chini set his novel The Sea of Forgotten Memories on the island of Gozo, where he also lives. The book recounts the death of fisherman Ġorġ Muscat. As the local police inspector investigates, the question of whether Muscat’s death was an accident or murder just gets murkier. Everyone knows everyone in this close community, but not everything is as it seems.

Nicholas Monsarrat wrote The Kappillan of Malta while he lived in San Lawrenz in the 1970s.Nicholas Monsarrat wrote The Kappillan of Malta while he lived in San Lawrenz in the 1970s.

Freya Barrington, who also lives in Gozo, hit the UK Amazon bestseller list in 2014 with her book Known to Social Services, published by Faraxa, and she’s working on a sequel now. The book sprang from her determination to do something about the negative image of social workers. Her book highlights the difficulties of the job through the fictional social worker, Diane Foster.

Howard Davies based his book The Gunmen of Gozo on the island. After a raid on a jeweller’s goes wrong and a girl is killed, the robbers flee to Gozo but are tracked down by the dead girl’s fiancé, Flanagan. His quests for justice is, unsurprisingly, less than simple.

Ann Crew has also set many of her Elspeth Duff murder mysteries in Gozo and Malta. Her latest book, A Murder in Malta, has the heroine travelling to her Aunt Magdalena in Gozo; the location also crops up in her book A Gamble in Gozo.

• Children’s books

Emma-Louise Nash was inspired to write her children’s series Gozie and Friends, by a holiday in Gozo. These bright, cheerful books are set in the villa Razzett Lelluxa, Xagħra.

The main character, Gozie, is a dragonfly and the books follow his adventures and offer some pointers about friendship and teamwork to three- to nine-year-olds as Gozie’s wings are stolen and his friends work together to get them back.

To find out more about the Gozo and Malta book scene, visit http://ktieb.org.mt .

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