Pete Farrugia talks with author Pierre Mejlak about the prospect of international publishing, and literature’s place in Malta.
Author Pierre Mejlak and publishers Merlin have enjoyed an impressive start to the new year. Several of Mejlak’s stories have been acquired by prominent American publisher Words Without Borders, in a move that’s sure to boost Mejlak’s literary career.
This milestone follows his first collection of short stories, Qed Nistenniek Nieżla max-Xita, published to critical acclaim in February 2009, and award-winning novel Riħ Isfel, which has since been adapted into a dramatic series for Net TV.
This latest venture will not only raise Mejlak’s literary profile, it has also highlighted the value of literature in Malta and there’s a sore need for greater focus on local creativity.
It’s only in recent years that publishers like Merlin have been trying to earn Malta some credibility on the international scene, with features in international trade journals (thanks to other successes like Simon Bartolo and Loranne Vella’s Sqaq l-Infern) generating a buzz around writing from the island. By including Maltese work in their list of publications, Words Without Borders have certainly added to the excitement.
Universally respected as specialists in contemporary world literature, and publishers of two Nobel Prize in Literature winners (Herta Muller and J.M. G. Le Clezio), Words Without Borders is the perfect vehicle to gain Mejlak’s writing worldwide exposure.
Merlin director of publishing Chris Gruppetta’s efforts in bringing Maltese literature to foreign markets are paying dividends.
“Pierre and I pitched some of his stories to a select number of international publishers and editors at the last Frankfurt Book Fair. However, Words Without Borders was not one of them; their editor-in-chief happened to read an article I wrote about the Maltese publishing scene on the official Frankfurt Book Fair daily newspaper. She then contacted me expressing interest and asking to read some Maltese fiction.”
Mejlak’s novel and short story anthology were both exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair last October, and occasioned two new booklets with a selection of stories in English translation. These were also picked up by Words Without Borders.
Talking about the prospective publication, Mejlak says: “What this deal hopefully gave us is a slightly better understanding of how the foreign selection process works, what editors are looking for in literature in translation and some of the approaches to take when pitching manuscripts.
“The publisher seemed to like the international dimension in the stories: they felt they might appeal to an audience intrigued to read about a tiny country called Malta.
“I had experimented with some of my stories in public readings overseas, at the Biennal of Young European Artists in Macedonia, the Anna Lindh Forum in Barcelona, the Sea of Words gathering in Beirut, and gauged the reactions there.”
Gruppetta echoes Mejlak’s sentiments. “Even in translation – always a huge challenge and handicap for Maltese authors, as even the best translation cannot capture entirely the feel of the original – Mejlak’s talent shines through. But crucially for a foreign publisher, Mejlak doesn’t write inward-facing stories. They’re cosmopolitan Polaroids of life and somehow, he manages to weave in an unmistakeably Maltese feel.”
Beyond the promise of international publication lies the fundamental importance of storytelling. Talking about how he gets to grips with a story, Mejlak says:
“When I write I always write something I would love to read. I try not to think too much of the audience while writing the first draft of a story but I do think of how it would be received while editing that first draft.
“In recent years I’ve written mostly short stories – my last novel was Riħ Isfel and following the new collection of short stories being published later this year, I’ve promised my publisher a full-length novel.”
Although Merlin and its authors are working to change the local industry, there’s a keenly felt lack of structured support for writers. While the Maltese scene has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, there’s a way to go yet. And it is authors like Mejlak who might provide the impetus that will bring the public to its senses, encouraging a real interest in Maltese literature in English or translation, as a valuable way of presenting Malta to the world.
Ultimately, some of the problems that have plagued publishing in Malta can’t be fixed without a reassessment of attitudes. Writing in Malta, missing a historical foundation comparable to other European countries, has often suffered from a distinct lack of appreciation when it comes to quality.
It’s this puzzling unwillingness to distinguish between mediocre and great offerings that typifies the arts locally, and it’s an issue that can only be resolved by creative individuals themselves.
Reaching an amicable consensus between expectation and achievement is, paradoxically, what holds back many writers. Gruppetta, who highlighted this thorny issue in an address to the University of Malta’s Desa Publishing Symposium last year, hopes a new step into international recognition will be a wake-up call for all concerned.
“Of course, this validates our belief in, and commitment towards, our finest authors,” he says. “We can get publishers interested but only if we learn to get over our ‘tajjeb ghax Malti’ attitude and seek out and promote excellence.”
Beyond the furore, Mejlak has a busy time planned for 2011. “My new book will be out in early summer, to be published by Merlin and I have just submitted the final draft of the manuscript.”
Readers can expect to see his new collection of fiction sometime in July, and the rest of the world can wait. We’ll be the first to enjoy his latest stories, with their particular blend of Maltese and foreign perspectives. But it’s only a matter of time before more of Mejlak’s work, and work by other authors willing to take the plunge, gains prominence abroad – and it hasn’t come a moment too soon.
www.pierrejmejlak.com