MARIO AZZOPARDI INTERVIEWED BY THE TIMES

O n December 1, 2007, the cultural supplement of The Times carried a feature on Mario Azzopardi's book Alicia Titkellem mill-Imwiet in its book review section. Edited by Stanley Borg, a regular reviewer, the feature allows insight into the genesis of the volume and his views on literature in Malta. He also spoke about Travelling Between Shadows, a biocrit about aspects of his life and work, written by Dr Charles Briffa, senior lecturer and head of the Translating Unit at the University of Malta. Excerpts:

ON BRIFFA'S BIOCRIT

Travelling between Shadows proved to be a unique experience, in the sense that you are asked to "collaborate" with an author who is virtually dissecting you, bit by bit, detail by detail.  I found Charles Briffa extremely perceptive and I was quite astonished to read revelations he had underpinned when analysing my new batch of poems.  It is fascinating to see your work treated under the microscope, so to speak, where a lot of literary spy-work is going on, informed by hidden facets of your personal life. 

ON TEENAGE ANGST STORIES

The Alicia project for young adults happened very incidentally. I was asked by Chris (Gruppetta" to submit one short story to be included in a school anthology for upper primary students. I wrote Meta dahal ix-Xenxul, about what happens on an island when its shores are invaded by jellyfish.  Chris like the story so much that he invited me to write more stuff, and in a matter of three weeks I handed him the bulk of what is now a short anthology of  stories for  adolescents. Chris says these are cutting edge stories and very new for the local market.  He should know best, since I have never written for this age group.  But I have worked a lot as a drama animator with young adults.  I know the themes they find relevant and which concern them most: pressure, family (including mixed-up arrangements), sexuality and love, awakenings and all sorts of challenges. So I thought I would deal with teenage angst.  I chose core themes which deal with the developmental and psychological needs of young readers but I had to surmount one problem: avoiding at all costs to be patronising. I know there was an amount of risk taking in the themes I hit on, especially where sex is concerned and there is one particular story about sexual abuse, concerning the deflowering of a young female, which I wrote at least five times. I am aware that literature for young adults today can be sensationalist.  I am reminded, for instance, of Melvin Burgess' Doing It (2004), which The Guardian described as "filth, whichever way you look at it". I am not interested in filth.      

ON MALTESE LITERATURE TODAY

I think that essentially, Maltese literature still guards itself from controversary. Subject-matter is often remote, alienatory or even downright populist.There is a reluctance on the part of Maltese writers to commit themselves to serious, thought provoking themes and above all, there is a schematic mind-frame to avoid being "political" at all costs.  This says a lot about the lack of social engagement which denotes local literary production. There have been exceptions and there's a crop of new writers who are struggling to beat inhibitions.  But there is too much mediocrity flooding the market and I suspect this is both a consequence of very limited life experience and of physical and psychological insularity.