What do you get when award-winning writers Antoinette Borg and Anthony Portelli combine their talents? The answer is a quirky collection of short stories that is impossible to put down, published under the name Innuendo. Ramona Depares finds out more.

How was the idea for Innuendo born?

Antoinette Borg: It all started with an e-mail from Merlin Publishers’ Chris Gruppetta, with ‘new project?’ in the subject line, asking me if I would be interested in collaborating with another author on co-authoring a collection of short stories.

I asked to see a sample of the stories – I wanted to see if I would be able to identify with and enjoy working on them – and I was intrigued right from the start. The stories were all completely different from each other but they all had a dark tinge and a haunting quality which left me mulling over them for a long time after having read them. It was a no brainer: my reply was that I would be thrilled to take the project on, and we kicked it off.

Never consider your work as written in stone. Be prepared to scrap and start all over again if necessary

Anthony Portelli: Following my involvement in the theatre, writing several plays in Maltese and one-act plays in English, and subsequent script writing for television and radio plays, I needed a new challenge. Fiction in the shape of short stories came naturally to me as my next goal. I wrote a good number of these stories, 12 of which are in this book. Chris read the stories and agreed to publish them.

Is this your first collaboration with another writer?

AB: Yes, collaborating with another writer was a first for me. I was also writing adult fiction as opposed to YA, and working on short stories as opposed to novels.

AP: Yes, although I had previously collaborated with a small team of writers during a workshop on scriptwriting to write short plays as part of an exercise.

While discussing the texts with my editor, we landed on the idea that a second voice might give a different slant to the stories, and that the convergence of two distinctive styles might add a certain quirkiness to the tales. We felt that a co-author would refresh the stories and further improve the text. I knew Antoinette only from her writing of Fittixni and was very impressed.

Antoinette Borg

How did the creative process work? And the practical one?

AB: In our case, the greater part of the creative work – the raw material if you like – was ‘provided’ by Anthony, who came up with the stories in the first place. What was fantastic was that Anthony then gave me a free hand to interpret and rewrite the stories as I thought fit. I really appreciated that, as I’m sure it’s not easy for a writer to entrust his work in the hands of someone else. The creative process on my part fo­cused mainly on the storytelling aspect, and entailed rewriting each story afresh while respecting the underlying essence of the tale as originally penned by Anthony.

AP: It worked perfectly. We both had full liberty to write, without the interference of the other, whatever we thought was the best for the story. I wrote the stories, created the characters and dreamt up the locations. I then handed the stories to Antoinette with the understanding that these stories were hers as much as they were mine. We obviously discussed all changes at all stages – Antoinette, the publisher and I – in what was quite a laborious but energetic process.

Antoinette’s writing improved the stories and enriched it with Maltese that is a pleasure to read.

We did have points of discussions which we quickly resolved. The three of us came with an open mind and ready to listen to each other and find common ground to sort out any differences.

Anthony Portelli

Were there ever any creative disagreements? If yes, how did you solve them?

AB: Not really. There were occasions when we would take a slightly different view of a particular aspect of a story, but we’d discuss it and always find a way that worked for both.

AP: There’s no place for prima donnas. Building a good working relationship is a must. Never consider your work as written in stone. Be prepared to scrap and start all over again if necessary.

The stories are a departure from the usual style of both, and are much darker. What lead to this?

AB: As a writer I would like to develop versatility and not limit myself to a particular genre or target readership. So – as long as I enjoy what I’m writing – I always welcome opportunities to challenge myself, experiment and try out new styles. Writing adult fiction was always something I wanted to do, and the dark element of Anthony’s stories, juxtaposed with humour and drama, appealed to me as it reminded me of the works of some of my favourite short story writers, particularly Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe and Raymond Carver.

AP: Some of the stories are dark but there is a certain amount of humour too. It is not my first work involving black humour. I have written one-act plays in English using this style of writing. Coincidentally one of them – No More Pickled Onions – has just been performed in the Netherlands a few weeks ago. I find this genre appealing to my taste and I think that the Maltese readers and theatregoers are getting used to it.

The title of the book – Innuendo – implies a degree of ambiguity and subtlety, an element that is present in all the stories, which keep you guessing to the end. Do you agree, and was this pre-planned or did it happen naturally?

AB: No, it was not pre-planned, and we only came up with the title towards the end. The idea was always to pick a title that would capture a common element binding all the stories together, despite their sheer diversity. At a point we noticed that each story includes something that is said but not quite, a hint, a nuance, an insinuation, a non sequitur. We had many ideas for a possible title for the book, but when Innuendo came up, we all knew that was it.

AP: In a way it happened naturally. I think it is due to my skills in writing for the thea­tre. It is also influenced by watching many films; you pick up plot building, especially watching thrillers.

But then the process becomes second nature and you start planning without being conscious you are doing it.

Do you have a favourite story from the collection, and why?

AB: My favourite has to be the story of Belmiro in Żomm Wiċċek Mgħotti. It is a heart-wrenching story highlighting the cruelty of our society that places too much importance on physical appearance. The fact that the story is narrated in a humorous way makes it all the more poignant. I cried as I worked on its ending.

AP: That is a difficult question to answer, it’s like asking me ‘Who is your favourite child?’ So, the answer is ‘none’. But there is a story that I can identify with – Żomm Wiċċek Mgħotti. And I have in mind specifically the main character, Belmiro. When I was six, I went to school for the first time. I come from St Paul’s Bay. Practically all the other boys were farm boys heavily sunburned, but not me, I was covered with freckles from top to bottom. All the boys were scared, thinking I was sick or an alien. One boy had the audacity to tell me that my mother didn’t wash my face as it was dirty with flies’ droppings. I had a lousy time as it took my mates months before one of them spoke to me. So, I have an idea what a child feels when he is ostracised.

What’s next on the horizon?

AB: Right now I’m back to novel mode, currently brewing new works for both adults and children. It’s still early days on these, however. Meanwhile, next in line for publication are a number of children’s books I have translated into Maltese.

AP: I have just written a comedy for the thea­tre, which will be presented by Teatru Malta in 2020. I shall probably go full circle and start writing once again for the theatre. In the meantime, I am still writing short stories.