Celebrated author Sir Salman Rushdie will be the special guest of the 2020 Malta Book Festival, the National Book Council has announced.
Rushdie’s novels include The Satanic Verses, The Moor’s Last Sigh, The Ground Beneath Her Feet and The Enchantress of Florence. His latest work, Quichotte, was included in TIME’s list of 100 Must-Read Books of 2019, and named one of The Financial Times’ Best Books of 2019. It was also a shortlisted finalist for the 2019 Booker Prize.
An eclectic writer and noted public intellectual, Rushdie has won many of the world’s top literary prizes and is considered one of the most thought-provoking proponents for free speech today.
At the 2020 Malta Book Festival Rushdie will be appearing in conversation alongside Alfred Sant who has penned several novels, short stories, plays and autobiographical writings. These include L-Ewwel Weraq tal-Bajtar (1968), Silġ fuq Kemmuna (1982) and La Bidu, La Tmiem – 1599 (2001) and the satirical Balzunetta Towers (2017).
The discussion, which will be shedding light on the achievements, influences and current preoccupations of these two writers and their respective cultural milieu, will be moderated by Clare E. Vassallo, associate professor of semiotics and translation studies at the University of Malta, and streamed online on November 11 at 7pm.
The following day, Sir Salman Rushdie will also be directly engaging with students and readers from the public in the form of a digital Q&A. To better preserve the spirit of a direct exchange, the number of spaces is being limited to 40 audience members.
Participants interested in booking a place at the Q&A are invited to submit the one question they would like to ask the Booker Prize-winning author – the more fascinating the question, the better the chances of securing a place.
Questions should be submitted by e-mail to michael.mercieca@gov.mt by October 31 with the subject line ‘MBF2020 Q&A’ and include name and surname. The Q&A with Rushdie is being organised in collaboration with the Department of English, University of Malta.
The full programme of events for the 2020 Malta Book Festival – the virtual edition (November 11-15) will be published in the coming weeks. For the latest updates, follow the council's Facebook page.