As part of the Yacht Med Festival Gaeta 2011, recently held in Gaeta, Northern Italy, Malta participated in a convention of poetry entitled Il Mediterraneo in poesia –il viaggio della parola, on the initiative of Giu-seppe Napolitano, founder and director of the widespread editorial collection La stanza del poeta.

Thirteen poets took part, with Malta represented by Patrick Sammut, the scholar, and poet, author of several books.

Others hailed from other countries including France, Spain, Albania, Morocco and Greece.

The main themes discussed were: ‘The Translation of Poetry’, and ‘Woman in Poetry’.

Sammut dwelt on the roots, origins and beauty of the Maltese language, and commented on the actual translation process being recently adopted to bring the Maltese language nearer to the European context.

Three female poets argued that women had more of a penchant for poetry than men, but both sexes were subject to various sentiments and moods.

All poets present had the chance to read their own lines in their own native tongue, and these poems were then read out in their Italian translation.

Prominent guests were Spanish poet Gustavo Vega and Moh-ammed El Amraoui, who hails from Morocco but resides in Lyons.

Hostess to the convention was actress and presenter Clara Galante, while Elena Cassano interpreted.

All the poems recited during this convention have been published in a book entitled Yacht Med Festival Gaeta 2011 - il viaggio della parola, edited by Giuseppe Napolitano, with an introduction by Vincenzo Zottola, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Latina.