The Anthology of Mischievous Maltese Literature

Translated by Clare Vassallo from L-Antoloġija tal-Letteratura Mqarba

The Anthology of Mischievous Maltese Literature brings together a wide spectrum of authors, from Alfred Buttiġieġ to Loranne Vella, Immanuel Mifsud, Ġużè Stagno, as well as Alex Vella Gera and Karl Schembri. The book also includes commentaries on each of the texts by Shana Tabone, Kat Storace, Mark Vella, James Debono, and Mark Camilleri.

In this anthology we find the return of the infamous short story by Alex Vella Gera, Li Tkisser Sewwi (Reap What You Sow) which was censored in 2009, the punk story by Karl Schembri from Il-Manifest tal-Killer (Killer’s Manifesto), the “Ultras” of the working class by Immanuel Mifsud from L-Stejjer Strambi ta’ Sara Sue Sammut (The Strange Tales of Sara Sue Sammut), the story of the sperm told in the first person by Alfred Buttiġieġ in Dik il-Qtajra (The Droplet) which was censored in the 1980s, the story of two women who fall in love by Loranne Vella in Dawn l-erbat ikmamar l’għandi (These Four Rooms, translated by Kat Storace), and a section from Ġużè Stagno’s debut novel Inbid ta’ Kuljum (Our Daily Wine).
Alfred Buttiġieġ’s poe-prose story is a first-person narrative of a sperm that was conceived and grew into a baby. Alex Vella Vera’s text Reap what you sow is a first-person narrative of a Maltese man who ends up raping his girlfriend. It caused a lot of controversy when it was published, and many people mistook it for a pornographic story due to misogynistic views of women. Killer’s Manifesto was a story about a group of left-wing activists who freed a circus tiger. Ultras recounted the misadventures of a group of young, drug-addled hardcore football fans. Loranne Vella’s story These Four Rooms pioneered Malta’s LGBT literary trends while Ġużè Stagno’s novel Our Daily Wine spoke to men who saw no meaning in life.

The Anthology of Mischievous Maltese Literature is a collection of entertaining works which are shocking, rebellious, and sometimes even philosophical. There is also political and social satire that is aimed at Malta and the Maltese.

This is a collection of texts of historical interest that are sharp and entertaining, with intelligent and profound commentaries that provide the historical and social context for these literary pieces.