Books
Latest Release
Capricious Tales From Malta:
A History in the Making (2023)
(ENGLISH transl. Għall-Glorja tal-Patrija) translated by Adrian Scerri
Capricious Tales from Malta – A History in its Making is a collection of twenty short stories by Aleks Farrugia that take the reader through the course of Maltese history in a bid to understand what being Maltese is all about.
The collection begins during the temple building era in prehistory and moves on to the transition from the Carthaginian to the Roman period. It explores the origins of Christianity, the Arab rule, the Norman conquest, the inquisition, the Great Siege of 1565, the rule of the Knights of Malta, the Napoleonic conquest and the Maltese revolt, the British colonial period, independence, life within the European Union and a story about the future, exploring themes of race and multiculturalism. The stories speak about love, revenge, brotherhood, death, gender, freedom and family. They seek to provide the reader with different, often contradicting, points of view.
Some of the tales have a light humorous touch, sometimes they verge on the satirical; others are more dramatic. The reader will find each story to be unique, in setting, tone and characterisation, bringing together different actors from around the Mediterranean and beyond.
“The translation, done by Adrian Scerri, retains the flavour and idiom of the original Maltese version, while introductory notes by the translator, himself a historian, place the stories within the context of Maltese history, especially useful for the non-Maltese who can now enjoy these wonderful stories inspired by the character of us Maltese.” – SKS Publishers
Grasshopper (ENGLISH)
Grasshopper (ENGLISH)
A merry band of lads meet regularly at The Grasshopper. The bar is their “temple, church, parliament, brothel, heaven and hell”. It is where they banter about their jobs, their families, their love lives. Most importantly it is where their future is decided – with a tipple in hand.
This is the world of Daniel Hart. A member of the Brotherhood of the Drinking Glasses.
“You could fit fifty people in the place if you put them standing side by side and take their entrails out to save space. But for us that place was as wide as the fucking world. It was where all our major decisions in life had been taken,” narrates Hart, the protagonist of the book.
John, for example, divorced his wife over the third double clean vodka one evening. Frank decided to risk a million and his family home to buy out a failed printing company after a night of Jack and Coke. Bojan announced he was marrying the love of his life, a girl he had barely known for more than a few weeks.
Hart readily admits that he frequented The Grasshopper for the girls. “And for my friends. But mostly for the girls.” He always aspired to be a novelist, but somehow ended up working in public relations, a job which bored him out of his wits. Until a chance encounter with Sybil, a successful paperback writer in search of inspiration, changes all that. For both begins a dark chaotic journey that marked them and all those who crossed their lives.
Grasshopper is a quintessential tale of the truths and lies we tell ourselves about life and love. It is a novel about aging, love and regret, and a story of decisions and consequences; of emotional and sexual connections; of raw and lyrical tragedy.
Camerata! (MALTI)
Dak li jiġri fid-dinja t’isfel huwa marbut mad-dinja ta’ fuq. Wara kollox Strada Stretta u Strada Rjali huma żewġ toroq paralleli f’belt waħda. M’hemmx tarf għal din ix-xibka ta’ korruzzjoni u tradimenti. Imma lilu, lilu l-ambizzjoni għamlithielu. Għamietu u ħalliethom iġibuh bħalhom, agħar minnhom. Riedu jeħdulu ruħu u tahielhom fuq platt tal-fidda.
Malta, 1936. Fil-pajjiż għaddej taqlib politiku kbir. Qed Jikber ukoll is-suspett li l-Italja ta’ Benito Mussolini qiegħda tħejji biex tinvadi l-Gżejjer Maltin.
L-Ispettur Salvu Camilleri jissejjaħ fil-Kwartieri Ġenerali tal-Pulizija fejn il-Kummissarju jafdalu f’idejh missjoni sigrieta li tista’ tkun ta’ importanza kbira.
Imma Salvu Camilleri għandu bosta dimonji li qed jissielet magħhom. Il-piż tal-imgħoddi ma jistax joftmu minn preżent li ma tantx jipprometti wisq. Sa mnalla hemm Sefora, anke jekk Sefora…
Ir-Re Borg (MALTI)
Malta li se nibni magħkom se tkun Malta ġdida. Immaġinawha ftit: art fejn il-poplu tagħha jemmen fil-ġustizzja għax jaf li jista’ jiksibha; fejn id-dritt jingħatalu għax hu tiegħu; fejn il-ġid li jinħoloq iwieżen lill-batut u jippremja lill-bieżel. Immaġinaw art fejn il-poplu jitgħallem ma jaqbilx b’rispett; fejn l-iskola tkun skola għall-ħajja u mhux loppju għall-imħuħ; fejn m’hemmx diviżjonijiet skont minn fejn ġej jew għand min twelidt jew x’kont għandek fil-bank. Immaġinaw art fejn il-faqar, il-vjolenza, ir-regħba, it-tixħim, il-pjaċiri, l-intriċċi, is-serq, isiru kliem fid-dizzjunarju tal-imgħoddi; fejn ma tibqax ħtieġa għall-karità, fejn il-ħniena tkun ovvja u l-mibegħda u l-firda u l-aġenti tagħhom isibu biss stmerrija minflok min irewħilhom. Immaġinaw Malta fejn jerġgħu jikbru s-siġar, fejn jittajru l-għasafar mingħajr biża’, fejn il-ħamrija terġa’ tibda tħammel u l-ibħra jkunu mħarsa. U immaġinaw ulied ġodda, li f’din l-art ġdida jimlew il-pulmuni b’arja nadifa u jikbru felħana u jmorru mad-dinja jistqarru bi kburija li huma minn Malta. Immaġinaw, ħbieb tiegħi, u tibżgħux timmaġinaw u toħolmu, għax din hi l-ħolma li se nwettqu flimkien …”
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