‘Fuq kaxxa tal-birra rasha ’l isfel’

Poetry book, shortlisted for this year’s Malta Book Prize

Mario Cardona has the ability to write about the most significant things happening at all times; be it death, the absurdity of life, youth, natural landscapes, anger when faced by injustice, the feeling of being left socially on the fringe of society, the greed for power and the overwhelming sense of love, without forgetting that poetry is a word. A poet’s biggest challenge is his skill in using and organising words and their sounds in a world of their own – this being the raw material of poetry. The language creates a distinction between the spirit and the subject matter. Cardona’s poetry does not simply reflect life but is an act of involvement in life itself.

This is a collection of works which yet again brings us face to face with the nature of poetry itself because it challenges conventions and traditional rhythms. It is hence a type of poetry which takes us back to the roots of the words, the sound of certain consonants and the seemingly innocent complicity of vowels; the tone that becomes like sizzling pincers in our resignation or indifference; the rhythms which sometimes make us feel dizzy. Cardona negotiates his relation with every word in the poetical dwellings he creates, in the most natural way possible, because this is profound and necessary within his little dynamic niche of experiences.

Fuq kaxxa tal-birra rasha ’l isfel is published by Horizons and is available from Agenda and leading bookstores.