Following on last year’s successful format, this year’s edition of the Malta Book Festival comes packed with even more literary focus and a packed cultural programme of events.

Last year’s edition was attended by around 30,000 people and this year’s numbers are expected to top this, thanks to the variety of events spanning over the much-anticipated five days and targeting different age groups.

“The Malta Book Festival has grown exponentially: exhibitors are increasing and the number of events authors and publishers are contributing is growing at an unprecedented rate. For this year alone, the festival will host more than 70 book-related events,” Mark Camilleri, National Book Council executive chairman, says.

One way in which the council is ensur-ing a strictly literary focus is by investing more time and expertise curating this national festival.

“We have worked hard to attract foreign participation, collaborating with other local and foreign book-oriented entities and offering incentives to local publishers and small entities related to the literary scene. The idea is to foster a one-of-a-kind festival where authors, publishers, distributors, scholars and lovers of literature may converge, catch up and purchase the latest titles.”

This year’s special guests are a mixed bunch that are set to challenge and inspire. Marie Darrieussecq (France) author of Pig Tales. A Novel of Lust and Transformation, A Brief Stay With the Living and Tom est mort - Tom is Dead will be joined by Toni Aquilina in a discussion about her work on Novem ber 4 at 7pm; Maram al-Masri, Syrian author residing in Paris, and her Maltese translator Kevin Saliba will read excerpts of al-Masri’s work and discuss her work’s thematic shift from the romantic and erotic to the seemingly inevitable political on November 7 at 7pm. Romanian poet Dan Sociu and his publisher Bogdan Stanescu will also be joining the festival line-up for a poetry reading and interview with local author Immanuel Mifsud on November 6 at 7pm and Clive Boutle, British publisher of This Fair Land: An Anthology of Maltese Literature (edited by Charles Briffa) will also be giving a presentation about the anthology and other aspects of the publishing industry.

Less of a time-tabled affair and a more holistic literary experience for all

These writers and several others will join forces once again to deliver ‘Writers for Peace – Kittieba għal Paċi’, a conference on November 5 at 7.30pm to encourage dialogue between authors present. The focus will be on the the role of literature in the context of current developments taking place in Europe, with particular reference to the war in Syria and the immigration crisis.A multi-media approach is also being taken with respect to council activities – this year, the council collaborated with PBS to create the a short film contest, which funds a short film adaptation of a locally-published short story every year.

This year’s winners were 2Doors Media with their short-film proposal Dar ir-Rummien – an adaptation of a story with the same title by author Pierre J. Meilak, from his collection of award-winning short-stories Dak li l-Lejl Iħallik Tgħid. Dar ir-Rummien will premiere at the festival on November 7 at 8pm. “More events, more books, more exhibitors and bigger stands all reflect a growing book festival, not only in terms of cultural activity, but also in terms of book sales,” Camilleri said.

In curating this event, the council keeps in mind the local book market limitations and the interests of publishers and distributors interests in mind when curating such an event, so that the festival can act as a showcase and sales platform for them.

Publishers are, in fact, encouraged and often subsidised to organise their own events in the halls available, as well as on their respective stands, thus contributing to the overall literary spirit of the recently rebranded festival.

In the meantime, students visiting the festival will be taking part in a more interactive experience, where even book-buying becomes an educational and interactive experience in itself. Every student visiting with their respective school will be given a €3 voucher (last year €2 per student were offered) to be redeemed against a book of their choosing during their visit.

Premju Terramaxka, the National Book Prize for books aimed for the young, will be announced a day prior to the festival and celebrated on weekday mornings in an entertaining and educational display curated by the Educational Department’s Drama Unit.

“This year’s festival model is closer to international book festival models; it is less of a time-tabled affair and offers a more holistic literary experience for all, but especially for the young,” Camilleri concluded.

The National Book Festival takes place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, between November 4 and 8.

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