Welcome to our author‘s corner. We want to tell people more about you and your books. So please, send us your biography with a photo of yourself and join our growing community of writers, editors, bloggers, poets, dramatists, playwrights and novelists.
Mikiel Camilleri Haber
Mikiel twieled fis-7 ta’ Mejju 1988, u ma damx ma beda jikteb. L-ewwel (u l-maġġoranza) tal-kitbiet tiegħu kienu poeżiji u lirika. Fil-fatt, ta’ 6 snin beda jħarbex l-ewwel versi. Biex jiftakar dak li jkun kiteb iktar faċilment, dara jqabbel il-kliem ma’ mużika ta’ melodiji popolari, il-maġġorparti tagħhom kanzunetti tal-Beatles, Queen u Paul Simon. Tnejn mill-aktar artisti li ammira minn mindu kien daqsxejn ta’ tifel ferrieħi huma Elijah Wood u Paul McCartney.
Daħal l-MCAST jistudja l-Media fl-2009 u fl-2014 gradwa b’Baċellerat fil-Media (Moving Image). Wieħed mill-aktar proġetti għal qalbu minn dawn iż-żminijiet kien il-film qasir El Camino Hacia Las Rosas (2014), li kien iffukat fuq il-karattri u l-istorja mingħajr ma kellu screenplay konvenzjonali. Il-film intlaqa’ tajjeb ħafna mill-udjenzi li rawh, u rebaħ il-premju Bronze Palm Award fil-Mexico International Short Film Festival (2015).
Monica Gatt
Monica Gatt qualified as a teacher from Mater Admirabilis Teachers’ Training College, Tal-Virtù, with history as her special field of study. Subsequently she followed a career teaching history in secondary schools and junior lyceums. She has also served as Guidance and Counselling teacher and was seconded to the Guidance Unit to conduct careers seminars for Form 5 students.
She holds two diplomas from the University of Malta: a Diploma in Educational Guidance and Counselling and a Diploma in Educational Administration and Management. She attained the grade of assistant head in the secondary sector.
Natalino Fenech
(15.12.1962-). Journalist.
Fenech graduated in communications and journalism from the University of Malta, and also has a doctorate in geography from Durham University, England.
He started his journalistic career in 1992, first as news editor for The Malta Independent, and in 1997 he joined The Times and The Sunday Times. Between January 2008 and May 2013, Fenech served as registered editor and head of news with the Public Broadcasting Services.
He wrote, and co-authored several scientific papers, short notes and popular articles about Maltese ornithology for international journals, including Bird Conservation International, British Birds, Dutch Birding, Birdwatch and Gli Uccelli d’Italia.
He also wrote seven books, two of which won first prize in the National book awards in 2007 and 2010.
Books:
1992: The Fatal Flight: The Maltese Obsession with Killing Birds (London)
2004: Lark Mirrors: Folk Art from the Past (with H.F. Arensten)
2007: Richard Ellis – The Photography Collection Valletta & Floriana Volume 1 (BDL Books)
2008: Richard Ellis – The Photography Collection Grand Harbour & Cottonera (BDL Books)
2010: A Complete Guide to the Birds of Malta (Midsea Books)
2016: Kif Dieb il-Gemiem, rakkonti dwar kaċċa u nsib mill-passat (Midsea Books)
2017: Birds of the Maltese Islands, Nature Guide Series (BDL Books)
Norman C. Borg
NORMAN C. BORG huwa għalliem irtirat li għamel żmien jgħallem fi skejjel primarji. Ħadem ukoll bħala assistent kap u aktar tard bħala uffiċjal edukattiv mad-Diviżjoni tal-Edukazzjoni. Wara dan, ħadem bħala għalliem tal-Ingliż fi skejjel tal-lingwi lokali, u ngħata l-Inspiring Professional Award għall-2024 mill-ELT Council. Għal żmien kien lettur mistieden tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti, il-Fakultà tal-Edukazzjoni u s-Centre for English Language Proficiency, fl-Università ta’ Malta.
Matul it-tmeninijiet u d-disgħinijiet kiteb bosta stejjer għat-tfal ippubblikati fir-rivista Sagħtar maħruġa mill-Malta Union of Teachers u aktar tard mill-Fondazzjoni Sagħtar. Barra minn stejjer oriġinali ħareġ ukoll adattamenti ta’ stejjer klassiċi bħal Is-Saħħar ta’ Oż. Huwa koawtur tal-ktieb Tużżana (Merlin Publishers, 1998), u kkollabora fil-produzzjoni ta’ komiks bħal Avventura (1981) u Il-Komik (1983-1984).
Oliver Friggieri
Oliver Friggieri (born 27 March 1947) is a Maltese poet, novelist, literary critic, and minor philosopher. In philosophy he is mostly interested in epistemology and existentialism.Friggieri is the author of innumerable books. Since his main specialisation is literature, and particularly Maltese Literature, most of his publications are not of a directly philosophical nature. These include dictionaries of literature, oratories, cantatas, literary criticism, literary biographies, and anthologies of his own poetry. Particular mention should be given to Malta’s national poet, Dun Karm Psaila, of whom Friggieri is an uncontested expert. Friggieri also significantly contributed essays on Peter Caxaro and Michael Anthony Vassalli.
Apart from the frequent contributions in local periodicals and newspapers, of especial interest to philosophy are Friggieri’s novels and short stories. Generally speaking, these are imbued with pathos and profuse with philosophical reflections. Namely, they are the following:
Short stories
1986 – Stejjer Għal Qabel Jidlam (Stories Before Twilight)
1991 – Fil-Gżira Taparsi Jikbru l-Fjuri (Feign Flowers on Feign Island)
Novels
1977 – Il-Gidba (The Lie)
1980 – L-Istramb (The Odd Fellow)
1986 – Fil-Parlament ma Jikbrux Fjuri (No Flowers Grow in Parliament)
1998 – Ġiżimin li Qatt ma Jiftaħ (Jasmines which Never Blossom)
2000 – It-Tfal Jiġu bil-Vapuri (Children Come in Ships)
2006 – La Jibbnazza Niġi Lura (I’ll Come Back After the Tempest)
2011 – Dik id-Dgħajsa f’Nofs il-Port (That Boat in Mid-Harbour)
2013 – Children Come by Ship (published by Austin Macauley Publishers)
2015 – Let Fair Weather Bring Me Home (published by Austin Macauley Publishers)
Friggieri was born in Floriana, Malta, in 1947. He studied at the bishop’s seminary, and then at the University of Malta. From here he acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Maltese, Italian and Philosophy (1968), and then a Masters (1975). In 1978 he acquired a Doctorate in Maltese Literature and Literary Criticism from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy.
Friggieri began his teaching career in 1968 by teaching Maltese and Philosophy in secondary schools. Then, in 1976, he moved on teaching Maltese at the University of Malta, first as Assistant Lecturer, then as Lecturer (1978), and later as Associate Lecturer (1988). In 1988 he was chosen Head of the Department of Maltese. He became Professor in 1990.
In the meantime, between 1970 and 1971 Friggieri was very active in Malta’s Literary Revival Movement (Moviment Qawmien Letterarju). He was on the editorial board of Il-Polz (1969–73), a Maltese literary periodical, of which he became editor (1974–75). He co-founded Is-Sagħtar (1971), a children’s literary and cultural magazine, and remained on its editorial board ever since. In 1971 he also collaborated in the establishment of a publishing house, Klabb Kotba Maltin (Maltese Book Club), which facilitated the publishing of books in Maltese. He has been the editor of the Journal of Maltese Studies since 1980. He is also a Member of the Association Internationale des Critiques Litteraires of Paris, France.
In 2008 Friggieri published his autobiography, Fjuri li ma Jinxfux (Unwithering Flowers), relevant to the years 1955–90 of his life.
P. Edmund Teuma
P. Edmund Teuma twieled il-Belt Valletta fit-13 ta’ Settembru 1948. Daħal mal-Franġiskani Konventwali fl-1965. Studja t-teoloġija fl-Istituto Teologico Sant’Antonio Dottore, Padova. Kiseb il-grad ta’ Baċċellier fit-Teoloġija mill-Pontificia Facoltà Teologica San Bonaventura, Ruma. Wara l-ordinazzjoni saċerdotali (1974) mar jispeċjalizza fl-ilsna Semitiċi fil-Pontificio Istituto Biblico, imbagħad fil-Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica, Ruma, mnejn kiseb liċenzjat doppju fl-Għarbi u l-Islamistika. Kiseb ukoll diploma ta’ librar mill-Iskola Vatikana tal-Bibjotekonomija. F’Malta għallem l-Għarbi u xi suġġetti oħra fil-Kulleġġ San Alwiġi. Kien ukoll għal xi żmien visiting lecturer tal-filosofija Islamika fil-Fakultà Teoloġika ta’ Malta u l-Università. Fost il-kotba li ppubblika: it-traduzzjoni tal-Qur’’n mill-Għarbi għall-Malti b’noti eseġetiċi (2000).
Paul Mizzi
Paul Mizzi twieled ir-Rabat, Għawdex, fit-13 ta’ Diċembru, 1960. Bħala Kristjan Evanġeliku kiseb BA fit-teoloġija u minn żgħożitu ilu jgħallem il-Bibbja u jittraduċi kotba reliġjużi għall-Malti.
Għal aktar minn 30 sena serva bħala pastor fil-Knisja Evanġelika Trinità, u kien strumentali fit-twaqqif tal-Malta Evangelical Library.
Pawlu Mifsud
Pawlu Mifsud (1928–1996) twieled Ħaż-Żebbug u kien surmast fl-iskejjel Primarji tal-Gvern. Beda jikteb bil-Malti minn kmieni f’żgħożitu u matul is-snin kiteb esejs, novelli, poeżiji, radjudrammi, u radio-features; u rebaħ premjijiet f’konkorsi letterarji. Kien membru tal-Għaqda Letterarja Maltija u l-Akkademja tal-Malti. Huwa l-awtur ta’ Ħjut tad-Deheb – poeżiji għat-tfal, Serafin is-Saħħar, Il-Bambin ta’ Sant’Antnin u Tusè u ċ-Ċapsa – tliet avventuri għat-tfal. Ħalla wkoll poeżiji, stejjer u kitbiet oħra li għadhom ma ġewx ippubblikati.
Prof. Conrad Thake
Prof. Conrad Thake is an architect and architectural historian. He graduated B.E.&A.(Hons.) from the University of Malta (1988) and pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada with an MA degree in Urban and Regional Planning (1991) and a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, USA (1996).
He has co-authored with the late Dr. Quentin Hughes, the two volumes Malta – The Baroque Island, (2003) and Malta – War & Peace, an Architectural Chronicle 1800–2000, (2005). He has published a monograph on the British Admiralty architect William Scamp in Malta and one of his most recent publications is The Ottoman Muslim Cemetery in Malta.
Prof. George Gregory Buttigieg
Prof. George Gregory Buttigieg, teaches Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Malta and Plovdiv Medical University in Bulgaria. He also lectures Medico-Legal Studies at the Department of Pharmacy of the University of Rome, Tor Vergata. He has also served on the Medical Council of Malta(16.01.01 – 20.11.03), represented Malta at the Union Professionnelle International des Gynécologues et Obstétriciens (1994 -1997) as well as the European College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology(1996-2002). He was also International Secretary of the Commission for the Exchange of Resident Doctors(1998 – 2001) and represented Malta on the Representative Committee of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2009-2012).
Buttigieg is also a member of the Diplomatic Corps and is Malta’s Ambassador to the Government of the Order of Malta. He is a Knight of Malta, has been decorated with the Commander’s Cross and has been honoured with two Grand Crosses.