New book on migrant experiences

A new book by Maurice N. Cauchi on migrant experiences in English literature is to be launched by former president Ugo Mifsud Bonnici at the University of Gozo Centre in Xewkija on Friday at 8 p.m.

'Worlds Apart: Migration in Modern English Literature' recounts the experiences of people who have travelled hundreds or thousands of miles, leaving behind family and friends, in search of greener pastures.

The book also analyses the challenge for them of adapting - and the agony of not - to the alien climate, customs and language of a new land.

Excerpts from the lively literature of renowned writers such as V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie and Trezza Azzopardi are weaved together in the book and analysed against real life experiences.

In graphic terms, Worlds Apart drives the point home that "whether one leaves home with a first-class ticket, or flotsam on a bubbling ocean of despair," leaving is never easy.

Chapters deal with issues such as migrant identity, the value of culture and language, settlement problems, and the influence of migration on second and subsequent generations.

Migration is a phenomenon that has affected many people over the past 10,000 years, but it has particularly gathered momentum over the last century. Malta has been no exception, with large communities in Australia, Canada and the US.

Prof. Cauchi has already penned two books about the Maltese migrant experience.

Further information about the book and the launch is available from the centre on tel. 21 564559.

Worlds Apart is published by the Europe-Australia Institute.