Maltese transgressions

Following last month's publication of his poetry book, KM, Immanuel Mifsud is now launching his long awaited collection of short stories, Kimika. The book will be launched this Thursday at the Razzett l-Antik in Valley Road, Qormi, at 7.30pm. Today's Malta Independent reports that the book is "bound to create a stir mainly because of its controversial content, which some readers may find too direct and objectionable". Mifsud has just got back from Ireland where he launched yet another collection of his poetry called Confidential Reports translated by Maurice Riordan. In this interview with Malta Today Immanuel explains the disturbing nature of Kimika:

That book is very different from km, mostly because it centres on Malta as I see it today. It is a scrutinous peep at private moments of a number of very different characters, some very private moments I would say. Sexual abuse of minors features in more than one story, substance abuse, murder and other criminal acts. Kimika is not the book I enjoyed writing most because it gives a grim portraiture of Maltese contemporary life. There are themes which so far have not featured in Maltese fiction. I had no intention to shock but it seems that the book is quite disturbing, so much so that the publishers that had originally decided to put the book in print had second thoughts just days before it had to be out for sale. Now thanks to Klabb Kotba Maltin, the book will hit the bookstores this summer. Despite the acerbity of some of the stories in that collection there is still room for humour and satire, particularly aimed at the media...

Immanuel Mifsud - from Wired Temples

Blogscape - Maltese blogging according to Mifsud