The concept of memories and how they are manipulated inspired the short stories that won Maltese author Pierre Mejlak the prestigious EU Prize for Literature.
His short story collection Dak li l-Lejl Iħallik Tgħid (What the Night Lets You Say) was yesterday named among the winning 12 titles from other European countries.
The announcement was made by the European Commissioner for Culture at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair.
“I was surprised and delighted when I learnt I was one of the winning authors,” Mr Mejlak, 32, told Times of Malta.
“Through the prize, the book can reach new audiences, especially following translation.”
The EU Prize for Literature recognises the best new authors in Europe and enables the public to discover emerging authors from different countries.
Each winner receives €5,000 and publishers in different countries are encouraged to buy the rights to the winning books and to apply for EU funding to translate the works.
Mr Mejlak’s book, published in 2011, encapsulates 10 short stories. The running thread that connects them is the power of memory; sometimes corrosive, sometimes nurturing.
“It’s my take on nostalgia. I’m fascinated with the concept of memory and how memories are manipulated. For instance, in the epilogue, a boy completely ruins a night out with his mother because he wants the bad memories to drown out any good ones.”
Different characters grapple with different memories and are affected in diverse ways: some are trapped in memory while others struggle to escape its crippling power or, conversely, strive to concoct memories. Mr Mejlak is hard pressed to select his favourite short story. Among the most well received, he conceded, carried the title Mort naraha, pa (I went to see her, dad). The poignant story recounts a father’s dying wish that his son visits his Spanish mistress and brings him news of her: “It’s about the love between father and son as well as a love story which spanned a decade. It does not reference betrayal nor does it pass judgement. It dwells on the strength of memory.
“Over the years, the father had amassed a great deal of memories and, in his twilight years, he spends his time mentally flipping through them.”
Short stories seemed to be enjoying a surge in popularity again, he said. “I don’t know whether it’s because people read sporadically and in different environments but I’ve noticed this trend.”
Publisher Chris Gruppetta said that, unlike many Maltese authors, Mr Mejlak did not confine his fiction to the local market but was very outward-looking.
“The EU Prize for Literature is the highest award a Maltese author can aspire to. I suppose there’s the Man Booker Prize, now that it’s been expanded to all English-language novels worldwide, but Pierre writes in Maltese so that’s out,” he smiled.
The only other Maltese author to be awarded the EU Prize for Literature was Immanuel Mifsud, three years ago.