The annual Malta Book Festival is the most important book event in the Maltese calendar. Around 30,000 people visit the fair which attracts more than 40 exhibitors. Its cultural programme features well over 50 events in book launches, presentations, poetry readings, meetings with authors, conferences and seminars.

The festival, which kicks off this morning, is held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta. It has evolved from the Malta Book Fair, which was first held in 1979.

Weekday mornings are reserved for schoolchildren and students and a special programme of events is prepared specifically for them.

Publisher goes green

Merlin Publishers have planned a series of activities for all book lovers of all ages.

The highlight of Merlin Publishers’ stand will be the Ktieb u Tazza Nbid event on Friday at 7pm. Readers of the Times of Malta are invited to join and raise a toast to some of the best authors published by Merlin Publishers this year while getting a sneak peek of some of the most exciting forthcoming books. 

But the stand will be buzzing with activity for children of different age groups throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Little ones aged between three and six will have the authors help them discover the books X’Ġurnata hi? and Ġanni jżur Pariġi.

Those aged between five and eight will be exploring the worlds of new titles such as Il-Ħanut tal-Ħelu li mar Dawra; Lupu Lupettu jrid isir Supereroj; Lupu Lupettu mdejjaq jew ferħan?; Meta l-Milied ma Ġiex; Ġojjell id-Dragun li Jonfoħ l-Ilma. Seven-year-olds and over can have a taste of Il-Ħbieb tal-Annimali; Missjoni: Insalvaw il-Pjaneta l-Blu; Żgorg Ħabib minn Dinja Oħra; and Il-Pirati. While older readers will be able to meet the authors of Is-Sħaħar ta’ Petut; Sardinellu u d-Dar tal-Ħares; and Irvin Vella.

On Saturday, teenagers are invited to meet Antoinette Borg and Matthew Schembri, the winning authors of the Young Adult Literature Competition organised by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and the National Book Council.

Taking a cue from their latest children’s book Missjoni: Insalvaw il-Pjaneta l-Blu, which aims at making children more environmentally aware, the stand theme this year is ‘Go Green’.

Merlin Publishers are encouraging customers to bring along recyclable bags to pack any purchased books and in return they’ll be getting coupons redeemable against free books.

Recyclable free tote bags will be given out with every €30 spent.

For the Merlin team this is the most exciting time of the year. “Every title for us is a labour of love and this is our chance to exchange our enthusiasm with Maltese readers,” said Merlin Publishers’ director Chris Gruppetta.

Apart from being the go-to children’s publishers for books in Maltese, Merlin have also gained much respect with a smaller, but prestigious, imprint in award-winning adult fiction.

“Most of Malta’s best authors call Merlin Publishers their home. We pride ourselves on being always on the look out of young new authors with fresh, ingenious, unorthodox styles,” he said.

Merlin are also all the time scouting for foreign literature which is then translated to Maltese in a mission to introduce world literature to Maltese children.

All activities on the Merlin Stand at the Book Festival are free of charge so booking via e-mail on info@merlinpublishers.com is recommended. More information about the events can be found on merlinpublishers.com.

The full programme of events may be accessed at http://ktieb.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EN-Med-Spreads.pdf .

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