National Book Council chairman Mark Camilleri unveils how books will come to life in this year’s edition of Malta and Gozo’s beloved book festival
The Bookshop Edition of the Malta Book Festival 2021 is round the corner. And what a rollercoaster my first month at the National Book Council has been. The operational and logistical aspects of the festival were my first challenges on my appointment as the new executive chairperson. My job was to facilitate the return in person of the much-loved Malta Book Festival and to make it an experience for all to savour. Obviously always in strict accordance with the health protocols in place. I am proud to say we have achieved our initial goals. Here is how.
WHEN AND WHERE: The Bookshop Edition of the Malta Book Festival 2021 will be held between November 3-7 at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, Ta’ Qali – the biggest space ever to hold a literary bookshop and festival in Malta and Gozo, where you can literally get lost inside the many genres of literature.
HOW: This year, Malta and Gozo’s largest and most extensive celebration of the book culture will be divided into two distinct areas: a retail area and four ancillary event halls. Like every year, we will be welcoming people from all walks of life, young and old, who year after year eagerly await the festival.
THE BOOKSHOP: In the retail area, the general public can access the thousands of books on sale. Visits to this area are not subject to pre-registration or vaccination requirements, yet the wearing of a mask and temperature taking at the door are mandatory. You will have the unique opportunity to meet face-to-face the highest number ever recorded of publishers, booksellers and authors gathered under one roof. And my objective is for the festival to keep growing in the years to come.
THE CULTURAL PROGRAMME: I am proud of the rich programme of events which we will be holding inside the four different event halls. Participants from all sectors of the book industry contributed to populate a unique cultural programme that features more than 70 major events in book launches, book presentations, dramatic performances, workshops and conferences. Being an avid reader and a huge fan of his, finally meeting Irvine Welsh of Trainspotting and Filth is an event I am hugely looking forward to.
REGISTRATION: For the event halls, with separate entrances and exits, different protocols apply. All events can be attended free of charge, but pre-registration is mandatory. Admittance to all Festival events, except for children’s events and performances, shall be exclusively on presentation of a valid vaccination certificate. To register for an event organised by the National Book Council, you need to book your seat via showshappening.com. To access the programme and for details about each event’s registration process visit https://ktieb.org.mt/the-2021-malta-book-festival/.
STUDENTS VISITS AND VOUCHERS: A dream come true is to finally be welcoming students again to attend events catered specifically for them – like Danusan’s show Il-Kotba Jieħdu l-Ħajja (Books Come to Life). The National Book Council is offering a €5 voucher to all students in all primary and secondary schools across Malta. I’m also happy to announce that this year we are also extending the offer to all post-secondary students (to get the voucher, schools and students need to register by Friday, October 22 via a registration form).
I look forward to seeing you all at the Bookshop Edition of the Malta Book Festival 2021!