Aqra bil-Malti.
This year, Nadia Mifsud won the National Book Prize with her poetry collection Varjazzjonijiet tas-Skiet (Ede Books, 2021), which led to her being bestowed the prestigious title of Poet Laureate. This title is awarded to those who win the National Book Prize for Poetry twice. The first time Mifsud won the National Book Prize was with her collection of poems Kantuniera ’l Bogħod (Edizzjoni Skarta, 2015), in 2016. The title of Poet Laureate implies poetic excellence, and has its roots in ancient Greek and Roman times, where poets of the highest calibre would be presented with a laurel crown, a tree which was sacred for Apollo, the patron of poets.
According to Mifsud’s biography on helamalta.com, written by Teodor Reljić, her life is intrinsically intertwined with the language of literature. For her, poetry writing was so instinctive that the realisation that most of her peers did not in fact write poetry, shocked her. That said, poetry took a back seat during her university days, where her focus shifted to mastering the French language and pursuing her dream of permanently relocating to France, where she resides up to this very day. Whilst their separation was short-lived, Mifsud said that “it is actually poetry that came back to me.”
Mifsud’s first publication dates back to 2009, a self-published collection of poems, żugraga. Six years later, Edizzjoni Skarta published her first collection of poems which won the National Book Prize, Kantuniera ’l Bogħod. In the above-mentioned publications, the feminist element stood out, distinguishing her from other poets. Immanuel Mifsud comments that whilst there are many Maltese poems addressing the mother figure, Nadia Mifsud is one of the first who presents the mother in first person – a fresh perspective that challenges traditional Maltese raffigurations of the mother figure. She opens a window to what happens behind closed doors, bringing that which is private out in the public.
Whilst Mifsud excels as a poet, her publishing portfolio is not limited to poetry. In 2016, Merlin Publishers published her novel Ir-rota daret dawra (kważi) sħiħa, and then in 2021 published her collection of novels Żifna f’xifer irdum. Both works were nominated for the National Book Prize. Her mastery of both Maltese and French led her to translate Immanuel Mifsud’s Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) and have it published by one of the leading French book publishers Gallimard, as Je t’ai vu pleurer.
In an interview on the podcast Markapaġna by the National Book Council, that is still to be released, Mifsud revealed that the poem collection Varjazzjonijiet tas-Skiet was written during the first wave of the pandemic, when everyone found themselves locked inside – a new, yet difficult experience. The collection reflects different experiences of silence: the unusual silence in roads and villages and also the absence of silence within households, with families living together 24/7 in small apartments.
When Mifsud was asked what the title of Poet Laureate meant to her, she answered, “Honour is the first word that comes to mind. It is an acknowledgment of work already done, but also a responsibility towards that which is yet to be done. There is still much to learn when it comes to writing. This title is not a destination, but rather an open door.”
The door seems to have opened wide to a myriad of opportunities. Mifsud is planning a future enriched with writing – both poetry and prose. She will be publishing a chapbook (a small collection of new poems) by the initial months of 2023, with Ede Books. She is also collaborating with Kotba Calleja on an innovative project where poetry will depart completely (or almost) from paper, and somewhere in a drawer is the beginning of another novel.
Mifsud joins the ranks of Maria Grech Ganado and John Aquilina, the only other two poets who have been awarded this title.
This article was first published on the website of the National Book Council on 14 December 2022.
https://ktieb.org.mt/news/the-poet-laureate-award-goes-to-nadia-mifsud/
nadia mifsud tingħata t-titlu ta’ poeta lawreata
Din is-sena, il-ġabra poetika Varjazzjonijiet tas-Skiet (Ede Books, 2021) ta’ Nadia Mifsud rebħet il-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb, u dan wassal lill-poeta Mifsud għat-titlu speċjali ta’ Poeta Lawreata, rikonoxximent għall-fatt li dan kien it-tieni premju mirbuħ fil-qasam tal-poeżija. L-ewwel premju miksub minn Mifsud kien fl-2016, permezz tal-ġabra Kantuniera ’l Bogħod (Edizzjoni Skarta, 2015). Dan it-titlu letterarju jimplika eċċellenza poetika u għandu għeruq fl-ibgħad żminijiet Griegi u Rumani, meta t-titlu kien jiġi ppreżentat permezz ta’ kuruna tar-rand, siġra sagra għal Apollo, il-patrun tal-poeti.
Skont il-bijografija tagħha miktuba minn Teodor Reljić fuq is-sit helamalta.com, ħajjet Mifsud hija msawra mil-lingwa tal-letteratura. Għaliha l-kitba tal-poeżija hija istintiva, tant li nħasdet meta fl-adolexxenza tagħha skopriet li għal ħafna minn sħabha l-kitba tal-poeżija mhix daqstant naturali. Minkejja dan, bħala studenta universitarja, tat xi ftit il-ġenb lill-poeżija, bit-tiftixa għall-eċċellenza fil-Franċiż titla’ fil-quċċata tal-prijoritajiet tagħha, kawża tal-ħolma tagħha li tmur toqgħod Franza fejn għadha toqgħod sa issa. Waqt li ma damux imbiegħda minn xulxin, fi kliemha stess, “kienet il-poeżija li reġgħet ġiet għandi.”
L-ewwel pubblikazzjoni ta’ Mifsud tmur lura għall-2009, żugraga, ġabra ta’ poeżija awtoppubblikata. Sitt snin wara, Edizzjoni Skarta ppubblikat l-ewwel ġabra poetika tagħha Kantuniera ’l Bogħod li wasslitha għall-ewwel Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb. F’dawn iż-żewġ pubblikazzjonijiet, l-element femminist tagħha jiddistingwiha minn poeti oħra. Kif jikkummenta Immanuel Mifsud fid-daħla tat-tieni ġabra tagħha, waqt li jeżistu ħafna poeżiji Maltin li jindirizzaw lill-omm, Nadia Mifsud hija waħda minn tal-ewwel li tippreżenta lill-omm bħala omm hija stess, u b’hekk toffri perspettiva ġdida li tmur lil hinn minn dak li hu ppreżentat tradizzjonalment. Hija tiftaħ tieqa dwar x’jiġri fis-segretezza tad-dar, u dak li hu privat isir pubbliku.
Waqt li Mifsud teċċella bħala poeta, il-portafoll ta’ pubblikazzjonijiet tagħha mhuwiex limitat għall-poeżija. Fl-2016, Merlin Publishers ippubblika r-rumanz tagħha Ir-rota daret dawra (kważi) sħiħa, u fl-2021 l-istess pubblikatur ippubblika ġabra ta’ novelli Żifna f’xifer irdum. Dawn iż-żewġ xogħlijiet ġew nominati għall-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb. Il-ħakma li tipposjedi taż-żewġ lingwi wasslet ukoll biex it-traduzzjoni tagħha għall-Franċiż ta’ Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) ta’ Immanuel Mifsud tiġi ppubblikata bil-Franċiż minn Gallimard, pubblikatur Franċiż ewlieni taħt l-isem Je t’ai vu pleurer.
F’intervista riċenti fuq il-poddata Markapaġna tal-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb, li għadha ma xxandritx, Mifsud stqarret li l-ġabra Varjazzjonijiet tas-Skiet inkitbet waqt l-ewwel mewġa tal-imxija, meta kulħadd sab ruħu msakkar ġewwa għall-ewwel darba, li daqskemm kienet esperjenza ġdida kienet waħda tqila. Il-ġabra tirrifletti s-skiet li ngħex b’modi differenti, is-skiet mhux imdorrijin bih fit-toroq u l-ibliet, u n-nuqqas tiegħu fid-djar, b’familji sħaħ jgħixu erbgħa u għoxrin siegħa flimkien f’appartamenti żgħar.
Meta Mifsud ġiet mistoqsija xi jfisser għaliha dan it-titlu, wieġbet li, “Unur hija l-ewwel kelma li tiġini f’moħħi. Huwa rikonoxximent tax-xogħol li diġà sar, imma wkoll responsabbiltà għal dak li għad irid jitwettaq. Għad hemm ħafna x’nitgħallem fejn tidħol kitba. Dat-titlu mhuwiex wasla, imma bieb imbexxaq.”
Il-bieb jidher mhux biss tbexxaq imma mbotta lil Mifsud għal aktar kitba. Għall-futur, Mifsud qed tippjana kemm poeżija kif ukoll proża. Bejn l-aħħar ta’ din is-sena u l-bidu tas-sena d-dieħla se toħroġ chapbook – ġabra ċkejkna ta’ poeżiji ġodda ppubblikati mill-aħħar pubblikatur tagħha Ede Books. Qiegħda wkoll tikkollabora ma’ Kotba Calleja fuq proġett innovattiv, li fih il-poeżija tinqata’ kompletament (jew kważi) mill-karta, u xi mkien f’kexxun għandha bidu ta’ rumanz ieħor.
Mifsud tingħaqad ma’ Maria Grech Ganado u John Aquilina, l-uniċi żewġ poeti oħra li sa issa kienu onorati b’dan il-premju.
Dan l-artiklu deher għall-ewwel darba fuq is-sit tal-Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb fl-14 ta’ Diċembru 2022.
https://ktieb.org.mt/mt/news/nadia-mifsud-tinghata-t-titlu-ta-poeta-lawreata
