Cover of Clare Azzopardi’s book. Photo: Merlin PublishersA Maltese folk tale and a children’s story book have been translated into Hindi and Nepalese and can be found on library shelves in Indian schools.
Ruben Zahra’s Ħrejjef Maltin and Clare Azzopardi’s Jake Cassar Isalva r-Renju tar-Re Pankrazju IV were chosen by the Maltese High Commission in India as a project to raise awareness about the island’s literature.
The project was the brainchild of Theresa Cutajar, the former high commissioner in India, who had a philanthropic and cultural aim for both books from Merlin Publishers.
“It had the dual objective of encouraging children and students in India and Nepal to embrace reading with joy and at the same time learn about Maltese literature and culture,” said Ms Cutajar.
“It was one strand of the cultural diplomacy strategy that I employed in New Delhi to promote Malta and its rich cultural heritage.”
It was a fantastic opportunity for our authors and books to be visible in a massive market
The project was supported and financed by Malta’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and books were distributed for free to public and private schools and libraries, as well as NGOs all over India and Nepal.
They were mostly used to organise cultural activities such as dancing and painting in schools throughout India, such as Tieqa fuq Malta (Window to Malta) at the Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre last July, in which 28 different schools and some 600 people participated.
Merlin’s publishing director Chris Gruppetta said the cultural diplomacy fund covered the design and printing costs in India.
The publishers, authors and illustrators all gave permission for the works to be published without charge, waiving all royalties and fees.
“It was a fantastic opportunity for our authors and books to be visible in a massive market,” Mr Gruppetta said.
“These initiatives happen only too rarely so, even though there was no financial advantage to it, it was a great point of entry into a new market.”