TONI ABELA is well-known as one of the founder-members of Alternattiva Demokratika, a lawyer, a former MLP candidate, former deputy leader (party affairs) of the Malta Labour Party and a judge serving in our courts of justice. However, there is another side to Abela, that of a short-story writer. He discusses with Joseph Agius his latest publication L-Imxennqa għall-Ġiżirana.

L-Imxennqa għall-Ġiżirana by Toni Abela.

JA: Your collection of short stories titled L-Imxennqa għall-Ġiżirana, (loosely translated as ‘The Woman who coveted the necklace’) is a kaleidoscope of themes and eras. Eras range from past ones, steeped in layers of narrative, to the contemporary one and its urgent issues, while even attempting a peek at future post-apocalyptic dystopian/utopian ones (Shaina fil-Mużew). No historical chronology or thematic sequence is followed, thus adding to a much more structureless read. Is this haphazardness intended or does it follow the timeline of the actual writing, thus providing the reader with a more intimate appreciation of the creative process involved?

TA: What you call “a structureless read” is not intended. My stories are the fruit of what I may be reading at the moment or from what I pick from day-to-day experiences or current affairs. I have a passion for history, as one can easily perceive after reading my writings. I like taking the cues from historical events and personas.

JA: Almost all the stories end as a cliffhanger and the reader at times feels at odds, expecting the narration to keep on going. What is the reason for the choice of this style?

TA: In truth, I want the reader to come to his own conclusion, or more than that, to use his imagination to arrive at a conclusion to his liking. However, though I avoid spoon-feeding the reader with an obvious conclusion, a close examination of the narrative of the story as it unfolds allows the reader to arrive at a conclusion that is not necessarily the author’s one. I want to respect the intelligence of the reader.

JA: In the preface to the book, you mention Guy de Maupassant and Edgar Allan Poe as the two authors who sent you on your story-writing path. I caught glimpses of Jorge Luis Borges and Raymond Carver as far as the absurd (Borges) and the essential (Carver) go. Can you mention other authors, maybe even Maltese ones, who you look up to?

TA: One of the Maltese authors who left an impression on me is Ġużè Cassar Pullicino. The simplicity and command of the Maltese language in his books such as in Kelma Waħda Biss are an example of an elegant literary style in short story- writing.  The prose by Claire Azzopardi is also of particular interest in this genre of writing. However, there is a long list of Maltese short story writers going back to the beginning of the last century. Just to mention one, I can mention Ġużè Ellul Mercer.

JA: Only one story, Fredrick the Great, is strictly autobiographical. It reads like an ode, a thanks to a primary school teacher, Fredrick Vella Jones, who saw the potential in you as a storywriter. This story, perhaps the only one not steeped in fiction or on your creative take on historical events, stands out as an exercise in hindsight, a personal appreciation of that one single person that contributed deeply even to your career as a judge in the Maltese courts as well as that of a former politician. Is there a reason why this particular story features as one of the last stories in your anthology?

TA: I look on Mr Fredrick Vella Jones as the person who saves children from the jaws of nothingness. As Nanny McPhee if you want. Though no longer with us, I have been infinitely fortunate to have had him as one of my teachers during my formative years when I was a boy attending Marsa primary school. I recall in him qualities which today are not so common. Commitment, greedless, and a deep pedagogical calling to help and straighten unwilling students. It being one of the last stories is only accidental.

Toni Abela delivering a speech during the book launch.

JA: You have a colourful career. You are one of the founders of Alternattiva Demokratika, a party with green credentials that tried to offer a worthy alternative to the suffocating grip of the two main parties on this country’s political landscape. However, you later left the fledgling party and re-joined the Malta Labour Party, of which you had already been a member for some time pre your AD days, and there held positions of high rank; afterwards you were appointed a judge serving in the Maltese courts. I feel that somehow your public life mirrors the vulnerabilities and insecurities portrayed via the stories in the book. Is there some truth in my inkling?

TA: There is a lot of truth in that. Whatever we write, in whatever style or genre, this always bears the brunt of our life experiences. One can never escape from what one actually is, and writing reveals more than other mediums of expression.

JA: Are you currently writing more short stories, maybe inspired by the stories of human vulnerability and shortcomings that you must pass judgement upon in your career as a judge?

TA: I have many other short stories. Hopefully, I will be publishing them soon. I have already sent another manuscript to Gordon Pisani of Kite Group. It’s a diary written during World War II, albeit with a very unusual historical twist. It is very readable and manageable for those who may not have much time on their hands to read in these fast and stressful times. I have finished a set of three short plays entitled The Festival of Hypocrisy. I also have in one of my drawers my autobiography but cannot publish it now. Presently, I am living a somewhat quiet life and thus not in the mood to ruffle feathers. 

JA: Anything else that you would like to add?

TA: Most of what I write has to do with the unexpected in life. I am attracted to what I call “The seen but unexplained”. All of us must have, some time or another, passed through a bad patch in our life and usually bad patches come upon us when we least expect them. When everything seems to be moving smoothly, an unforeseen turbulence slams into our face and mars our lives. This sense of insecurity planned by a hidden hand, real or uncanny, is the leitmotif of what I want to say in my writings.

L-Imxennqa għall-Ġiżirana, published by Kite Group, is available from Kite Books, 13, Triq il-Franġiskani (former Triq Villambrosa), Ħamrun, and leading bookshops.