Meta Toqros il-Vampa

Għal dan il-ktieb Phase and Occasion. Art and Poetry in Malta (Norbert Francis Attard Foundation, 2025), l-artist Norbert Francis Attard talabni nikteb poeżija fuq xogħol artistiku tiegħu. Se naqra din il-poeżija waqt it-tnedija tal-ktieb fl-10 ta’ Lulju 2025.

Jien għażilt li nikteb xogħol bil-Malti mnebbaħ mill-kittieba dissidenti Torka Aslı Erdoğan, u minn dak li qanqlet fija u f’dawk kollha li kellhom ix-xorti jiltaqgħu magħha u jisimgħuha fil-Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta’ Malta ta’ Inizjamed tal-2018.

Il-poeżija jisimha “Meta Toqros il-Vampa” u ttraduċietha għall-Ingliż Katryna Storace, għax fil-ktieb hemm il-verżjoni oriġinali bil-Malti u t-traduzzjoni għall-Ingliż.

Il-poeżija tispiċċa hekk:

Imma fil-foga tal-mewt

fil-frażijiet maħsuda,

fid-dritta indifferenti tad-deffiena,

armata bl-aġġettivi ż-żgħar u l-verbi,

qbadt is-suffarina,

ħakkiktha mal-kubrit,

u qabbadt.

Phase & Occasion | Poetry & Anthology ​

Is this an art book? Or is it a poetry anthology? Or is it both – or not quite either?

Think of Phase and Occasion as an exploration of the reciprocities of art and poetry, and the generosity of each towards the other. The poetry it gives space to, by writers mostly from Malta but also from elsewhere, enables a retrospective look at the art of Norbert Francis Attard. That is because Attard’s art is what the poems here, stretching from the seventies to the present, are in dialogue, sometimes in contention, with. It is therefore tempting to see the turns of phase – and the play of occasion and encounter – across and between Attard’s art and the evolving tradition of Maltese poetry mapping themselves onto each other. Would this be correct? Yes – and no. It is why there is much to think on here: about art, poetry, their affinities and differences – and more besides.

The anthology includes contributions from, Joe Friggieri, Anton Buttigieg, Mario Azzopardi, Claudio Fiorentini, Caesar Attard, Claudia Gauci, Simone Inguanez, Maria Grech Ganado, Michael Zammit, Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, Richard England, Maria Mangion, Marlene Saliba, Mario Griscti, Damian Ebejer, Victor Fenech, John Kinsella, David Campbell, Christopher Brennan, Les Murray, John Shaw Nielson, Bruce Dawe, Maria Theuma, Sam Alekksandra, Immanuel Mifsud, Adrian Grima, Antoine Cassar, Rachelle Deguara, Nadia Mifsud, John Mifsud, and Ivan Callus.

This publication includes an introduction by Prof. Ivan Callus and Dr. Maria Theuma. Prof. Ivan Callus is a professor of English at the University of Malta, where he teaches courses in contemporary fiction and literary criticism. Dr. Maria Theuma is a researcher and artist with an interdisciplinary practice. Her research interests cover posthumanism, feminist literary theory, comparative literature and contemporary aesthetics. 

“I am expressing my huge thank you to everyone who joined for the launch of Phase & Occasion: Poetry & Art in Malta. Thank you for making it a night to remember!

An extended thank you to all the contributors to the evening including Ivan Callus, Maria Theuma, Adrian Grima (@grimaadrian), Immanuel Mifsud (@immanuelmifsud), Sam Alekksandra (@samalekksandra) and Rachelle Deguara (@rea.malta). Thanks also to Maria Eileen Fsadni (@phake.curator) for coordinating the event.”

norbert francis attard