ClareAzzopardi

1.

Biography

Clare Azzopardi is an award-winning Maltese author, educator, and literary translator. Besides penning short stories, novels and plays, Azzopardi has become a household name among young readers, with works for children that marked a significant departure from the traditional form and content of the genre.

Jump to bibliography

Azzopardi’s theatrical works have elicited visceral reactions from the public, partly due to the immediacy of theatre as a medium. Her plays – of which one, L-Interdett taħt is-Sodda (The Interdict beneath my Bed, Merlin Publishers, 2010), has been published – are often political or are tinged with subtle social messages. One example is her stance on the gentrification of Valletta at the expense of local inhabitants in the more recent Tebut Isfar (Yellow Coffin, 2019). This reflection on socio-political issues marks Azzopardi as a writer with a social conscience.

She is perhaps best known for her second collection of short stories: Kulħadd ħalla isem warajh (The names they left behind, Merlin Publishers, 2014), which has been translated into English, Italian, Arabic, Slovenian, Hungarian and Croatian. The book, which won the National Book Prize for Fiction in 2015, consists of eight stories, each of which is about (and is named after) a different woman. The stories are linked by their thematic focus on individual women’s lives, their foibles and their struggles. They are fictions, but also, in a very fundamental sense, true stories, laying bare what is normally kept private.

A similar concern with the fragile boundary between the fictional and the historical is evident in some of Azzopardi’s other works, which are often embedded in socio-political contexts. Her novel Castillo (Merlin Publishers, 2018) is set on the Maltese Islands during the politically turbulent 1980s. This novel is a slight deviation from Azzopardi’s oeuvre, insofar as it includes elements of the crime/thriller genre. It also sets her apart from other writers in the Maltese literary scene, as this is a period in Maltese history on which comparatively little has been written. On the one hand, Castillo could be categorised as crime fiction (which would make Azzopardi, or at least her fictional character K. Penza, the first female Maltese writer working in this genre). At the same time, the author craftily weaves metafiction into the plot, thereby rendering her novel stylistically multifaceted, and entangling the fictional worlds of the crime novels in the book with the historical events unfolding in the country at the time.

Notwithstanding the socio-political concerns that inspire Azzopardi’s works for adults, she thoroughly resists a moralizing stance and approaches writing with a passion for experimentation. Aside from the contexts and eras within which her works are located, Azzopardi primarily remains focused on and drawn to individuals with their own unique stories, and it is the latter that imbue her work with personal, identifiable imprints. Ultimately, Azzopardi’s journey into writing also involves transcending time and space, creating opportunities for a more flexible, communicative relationship with her readers.

Biography written by Stephanie Xerri Agius

2.

Bibliography

"għidilhom"

Poetry
Maltese
Author
Editor
John P. PortelliDavid Aloisio
Publisher
Horizons

Kaħlani u l-fatati kull kulur

Kaħlani and the ghosts of many colours
Prose
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Romont Willy
Publisher
Merlin Publishers

"Konfessjonijiet ta' qabel norqdu"

"Before we sleep"
Poetry
Maltese
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Editor
Bridget Reuame
Publisher
International Human Rights Art Movement

"Noise’s grip"

"Noise’s grip"
Prose
English
Author
Editor
Wiegertje Postma
Publisher
The European Review of Books

"Autumn"

Poetry
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Editor
Khairani Barokka
Publisher
Modern Poetry in Translation

Din l-ossessjoni bl-imgħoddi

Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Merlin Publishers

"Ottubru" & "Kif tagħlaq ħalq xi ħadd"

Poetry
Maltese
Author
Editor
Clare AzzopardiMiriam Calleja
Publisher
PEN Malta & Klabb Kotba Maltin

"Lejn M."

"Towards M."
Prose
Maltese
English
Author
Translator
Irene Mangion
Artist
Naomi Gatt
Editor
Clare AzzopardiGlen Calleja
Publisher
Aġenzija Żgħażagħ & HELA Foundation

Madame Ortensja Paskwalina de Rohan

Picture book
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Moira Scicluna Zahra
Publisher
Merlin Publishers

Minn Marsa għal Marsa

Prose
Maltese
English
French
Author
Artist
Katel Delia
Photographer
Katel Delia
Publisher
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Aqla' Kjass

Comics
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Publisher
Merlin Publishers

Jien u Beppe. Beppe u Jien

Picture book
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Kyle Xuereb Cunningham
Publisher
Merlin Publishers

Tita tmiss l-art

Tita touches ground
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Naomi Gatt
Publisher
Kotba Calleja

#Noħlomlixidarba

#Idreamthatoneday
Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Naomi Gatt
Publisher
SEM, Malta

Alice fl-Art tal-Għeġubijiet

Alice in Wonderland
Prose
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare AzzopardiLeanne Ellul
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Il-Fatat Kaħlani

Kaħlani the Ghost
Prose
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Romont Willy
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

Il-Fatat Kaħlani

The Blue Ghost
Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Artist
Sean BorgMichela FarrugiaJeremy Grech
Composer
Luke Saydon
Director
Bettina Paris

Sura

Poetry
Maltese
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Artist
Glen CallejaLori SauerElyse Tonna Giola Cassar
Publisher
The Authors & Arts Council Malta, Malta
Related titles

"A city of dolls"

Poetry
English
Maltese
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art

Ors fl-ispazju

Bear in space
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Marjorie Crosby-Fairall
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Il-Wied tal-Lupu l-Aħmar – Is-Sħaħar ta' Petut

The Valley of the Red Wolf – The Petut Witches
Prose
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Deandra Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Meta mmur għand sieħbi Carlos

¡Qué suerte tengo!
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Juan Camilo Mayorga
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Iċ-Ċkejken Prinċep

The Little Prince
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Valeria Docampo
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

L-Ispettaklu Stupend Żanżan Kelma

The Stupendously Spectacular Spelling Bee
Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Translator
Clare AzzopardiLeanne Ellul
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Ottu ma jridx jikber

Ottu doesn't want to grow up
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Jérôme Peyrat
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Rinoċeronti

Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare AzzopardiAlbert Gatt
Publisher
Teatru Malta, Malta
Related titles

Rinoċeronti

Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare AzzopardiAlbert Gatt
Director
Michael Fenech
Production
Teatru Malta, Malta

Tebut Isfar

Yellow Coffin
Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Director
Marcelle Teuma
Production
Unifaun Theatre

Il-ħanut tal-ħelu li mar dawra

The corner sweet shop
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Matthew Stroud
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Castillo

Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

The Lives and Deaths of K. Penza

Prose
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Editor
Jen CallejaKat Storace
Publisher
Praspar Press

Il vizio del silenzio

Prose
Italian
Author
Translator
Virginia Monteforte
Publisher
Mesogea, Italy

Castillo

Prose
Arabic
Author
Translator
Abdelrehim Youssef Albert Gatt
Publisher
El Maraya, Egypt

Għand Rebus Totall – Is-Sħaħar ta' Petut

At Rebus Totall – The Petut Witches
Prose
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Deandra Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Is-Sinjura Klaws

Mrs Claus
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Lisa Falzon
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Jissokta l-Każ ta' Saver u Ludmilla Demolizz

Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Mark Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Teresa

Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Translator
Clare AzzopardiLeanne Ellul
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Il-Qtates ta' max-Xatt

The Cats by the Shore
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Lisa Falzon
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

Il-Qtates ta' max-Xatt

Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Composer
Euchar Gravina
Director
Denise Mulholland
Production
Teatru Malta

Los gatos de la costa

Picture book
Spanish
Author
Translator
Lawrence Schimel
Illustrator
Lisa Falzon
Publisher
¡Más Pimienta!, Uruguay

Kattene på bystranda

Picture book
Norwegian
Author
Translator
Kristina Quintano
Illustrator
Lisa Falzon
Publisher
Quintano Forlag, Norway

L-Art tal-Kliem

The Land of Words
Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Merlin Publishers & APS, Malta

Mingu

Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Lisa Falzon
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

La historia de Menco

Picture book
Spanish
Author
Translator
Lawrence Schimel
Illustrator
Lisa Falzon
Publisher
¡Más Pimienta!, Uruguay

Lupu Lupettu

Le Loup (series)
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Éléonore Thuiller
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Kulħadd ħalla isem warajh

Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

الكل خلف اسمًا وراءه

Prose
Arabic
Author
Translator
Murad Shubert
Publisher
Sefsafa Publishers, Egypt

Imena, ki so jih pustile za seboj

Prose
Slovenian
Author
Translator
Breda BiščakAlbert Gatt
Publisher
LUD Literatura, Slovenia

Gracey

from “Kulħadd ħalla isem warajh”
Prose
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
Asymptote

Rita

in “After September”
Prose
Slovenian
Author
Translator
Breda BiščakAlbert Gatt
Editor
Immanuel MifsudPeter Semolič
Publisher
Antologie Vilenice, Slovenia

Pár női név

Prose
Hungarian
Author
Translator
Szabo. T. AnnaAlbert Gatt
Publisher
Noran Libro, Hungary

Ziza zsvake je ostalo ime

Prose
Croatian
Author
Translator
Marina Horkić Albert Gatt
Publisher
V.B.Z publishers, Croatia

Il-Fabbrika tal-Kliem

La grande fabrique de mots
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Valeria Docampo
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Nora

Manon (series)
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Translator
Clare Azzopardi
Illustrator
Stéphanie Rousseau
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Klijenti Antipatiċi u Kapuċċini Kesħin

Prose
Maltese
Editor
Clare AzzopardiAlbert Gatt
Publisher
Inizjamed, Malta

Għaraq Xort'oħra

Anthology
Maltese
Editor
Clare AzzopardiAlbert Gatt
Publisher
Inizjamed, Malta

Pretty Lisa

Theatre script
Maltese
English
Author
Director
Marcelle Teuma
Production
Manoel Theatre

In-Nisa Maltin Jafu Kif

The Maltese Women Know How
Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Director
Marcelle Teuma
Production
Fondazzjoni Avventura & the Manoel Theatre

Jake Cassar 1-10

Prose
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Mark Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Din mhix tazza

This is not a glass
Prose
Maltese
English
Author
Translator
Claudia Gauci
Editor
Clare AzzopardiNathalie GrimaSara Falconi
Publisher
The Authors & Arts Council Malta, Malta

Frejp

Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

Frape

Prose
Spanish
Author
Translator
María ReimóndezAlbert Gatt
Publisher
Flores Raras, Spain

Kidane

A story of hope
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Marisa Attard
Publisher
JRS & MCCA, Malta
Related titles

Kidane

Picture book
French
Author
Translator
Elizabeth Grech
Illustrator
Marisa Attard
Publisher
Klabb Kotba Maltin & National Book Council, Malta

Kidane

A story of hope
Picture book
English
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
JRS & MCCA, Malta

Ġużeppina

Picture book
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Derek Fenech
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Ospizio

in collaboration with Theatre Anon
Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Director
Paul Portelli
Production
Theatre Anon & Malta International Arts Festival

U llum jispiċċa l-Każ tal-Aħwa De Molizz

Prose
Maltese
Author
Illustrator
Mark Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

"aqrali xi ħaġa ġdida, qaltilha"

Prose
Maltese
Author
Publisher
Merlin Publishers

Il-Każ kważi kollu tal-aħwa De Molizz

Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Mark Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

Meta l-Milied ma ġiex

When Christmas didn't come
Picture book
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Illustrator
Mark Scicluna
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

L-Interdett taħt is-sodda

Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Director
Marcelle Teuma
Production
Teatrutramm
Related titles

Monologue of the gravedigger

in “Transcript 38”
Theatre script
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
Transcript, Wales

L-Interdett taħt is-sodda

Theatre script
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta

التكفير تحت السرير

The Interdict beneath the bed
Theatre script
Arabic
Author
Translator
Walid Nabhan
Publisher
I-ACT, Egypt

L'Interdit sous le lit

Theatre script
French
Author
Translator
Cécilia MattaliaOlivier Favier
Publisher
éditions Théâtrales, France

Il-Linja l-Ħadra

The Green Line
Prose
Maltese
Author
Awards
Winner of the Malta National Book Prize
Publisher
Merlin Publishers, Malta
Related titles

Green Line

from "Il-Linja l-Ħadra"
Prose
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
Words without Borders, USA

I, the witness

from "Il-Linja l-Ħadra"
Prose
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
The Other Voices International Project, Vol. 35

Others, Across

Prose
English
Author
Translator
Albert Gatt
Publisher
Inizjamed & Midsea Books, Malta
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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