KarlSchembri

1.

Biography

Karl Schembri, born in 1978, is a novelist and poet who branched out of investigative journalism into the humanitarian field, all the while maintaining a healthy literary output.

Jump to bibliography

His first published work appeared in 1997, when he contributed the poem “Roadblock” to the self-published anthology Frekwenzi ta’ Spirti fis-Sakra (Frequencies of Drunken Spirits). Next came the short story collection Taħt il-Kappa tax-Xemx (Under the Sun, Minima) in 2002, which placed Schembri in the roster of alternative literary voices gathered under the umbrella of the short-lived but deeply influential micro-publisher Minima. But it was the release of his debut novel Il-Manifest tal-Killer (Choppy Books, 2006) which secured his position as a notable and urgent literary voice, even leading veteran author Mario Azzopardi to describe it as the first truly “anarchist” work of Maltese literature. Telling the story of a group of young misfits banding together to push back against the dominant political narrative through subversive action, the novel fictionalises into satire the real-life strands of political corruption, moral hypocrisy and institutional complacency which Schembri often found himself tackling during his years as a journalist for national media.

Schembri’s professional life would continue to expand and evolve – he branched out into international journalism, and relocated from Malta in 2009 to work as a journalist with a Palestinian news agency in occupied Palestine, before assuming media-adjacent roles in humanitarian institutions such as Oxfam, Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council. His poetry and short fiction would go on to appear in various anthologies, both local and international. And yet, the legacy of Il-Manifest tal-Killer continues to tower over Schembri’s literary reputation, as evidenced by it being privy to a rare phenomenon in Maltese publishing: a freshly reissued edition arriving in 2020 from the prestigious Merlin Publishers, no less. Schembri claims the novel has now come “full circle”, confirming that Malta’s institutionally stagnant political system remains ripe for satire with the same tools he employed back in 2006, despite apparent – and largely cosmetic – changes having occurred on the scene since.

But 2020 was as much about experimentation as it was about revisitation. Also for Merlin Publishers, Schembri collaborated with illustrator Alice Samuel for the picture book for children - It-tifel li salva d-dinja (The boy who saved the world, Merlin Publishers, 2020)– which speaks to Schembri's versatility as an author, capable of transforming a ‘napkin idea’ originally sketched at a Cairo cafe back in 2013 into a universal and slyly complex story about a lonely boy forging an imaginary friendship with the sun. The Lulu Diaries (Ede Books, 2020) adds a further kink to Schembri's recent publication history, being a poetry book inspired by a kitten which accidentally dropped into the author’s life while he was living in Gaza in 2012.

Karl Schembri is now based in Amman, Jordan, where he lives with wife Simine, his dog Mitti and cats Munzer and Mario.

Written by Teodor Reljić

2.

Bibliography

"Where’d you leave your bicycle when you fled?"

Poetry
English
Author
Translator
Miriam Calleja
Editor
Khairani Barokka
Publisher
Modern Poetry in Translation

It-tifel li salva d-dinja

The boy who saved the world
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Alice Samuel
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

The Lulu Diaries: Terror tails of a Palestinian kitten

Poetry
English
Author
Publisher
Ede Books, Malta

Passju taħt ix-Xita

Hopscotch in the Rain
Poetry
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Horizons, Malta
Related titles

أقلّبُ كل حجرٍ في الغابة

I turn every stone in the forest
Poetry
Arabic
Author
Translator
Walid Nabhan
Publisher
Sefsafa Publishing, Egypt

Għażla ta' poeżiji / Selection of poems

in “After September”
Poetry
Slovenian
Author
Translator
Andrej PleterskiAlbert Gatt
Editor
Immanuel MifsudPeter Semolič
Publisher
Antologie Vilenice, Slovenia

Remember the Future

Poetry
English
Author
Publisher
Writing Knights Press, US

Id-Demm Nieżel Bħax-Xita: Artisti Maltin b'solidarjetà ma' Gaża

Poetry
Maltese
Author
Editor
Adrian GrimaKarl Schembri
Publisher
Edizzjoni Skarta, Malta

Il-Manifest tal-Killer

The Manifest of the Killer
Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Taħt il-Kappa tax-Xemx

Under the Sun
Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Minima, Malta

Frekwenzi ta’ Spirti fis-Sakra

Frequencies of Drunken Spirits
Poetry
Maltese
Author
Publisher
The Authors
Supported by

Arts Council Malta

Creative Industries Platform

Project co-ordinator: Clare Azzopardi

With the help of: Kirsty Azzopardi, Leanne Ellul and Albert Gatt

Proofreader: Dwayne Ellul

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