Crowdfunding campaign for L-Istorja ta’ Malta f’ta’ Maria’ launched

Local author hopes to crowdfund publication of new Maltese novel

Maltese author Dr Christian Colombo has launched a ZAAR crowdfunding campaign to bring an innovative work of literature to life, one that explores the realm of Maltese politics from a neutral stance.

L-Istorja ta’ Malta f’ta’ Maria is a short novel that tells the story of Maria, a Maltese woman trying to raise a family in a changing world. This allegorical tale also hopes to disentangle the complex story of Malta and its political culture.

Maria faces some difficult choices. Her mother and grandmother also found themselves in dire straits when the men in their lives let them down. With two children to care for and a disinterested husband being of no help, Maria must make decisions that affect her and her children’s lives in profound ways.

The underlying political currents of this novel echo other allegorical stories such as George Orwell’s Animal Farm. In L-Istorja ta’ Malta f’ta’ Maria, Dr Colombo has also invited the reader to make choices alongside the protagonist. There are three different endings to the novel and the reader must choose between them, guided by how they perceive Maria’s character.

This unusual approach addresses an issue that often rears its head in the discussion of Maltese politics. It can seem impossible to make any comment regarding the political climate without being branded as “with us or against us” – making it hard for any message to penetrate more than one echo chamber. Even works of literature, art and drama are often labelled in this way.

Dr Colombo himself has been on the receiving end of this kind of haphazard categorisation, saying: “It’s not the first time that I had an article ready to send to a newspaper and then retracted it for fear of it being misinterpreted and doing more harm than good.”

With this novel, Dr Colombo hopes to help readers drop walls and look holistically at the Maltese political landscape from the safe distance created by fiction. The reader’s choices will determine how the story ends and being offered that choice could shed light on the nuance of perspective and perception.

Through a ZAAR crowdfunding campaign, Dr Colombo is aiming to raise €750 to fund the first publishing run of 150 copies. The second and third funding targets are €1,000 and €1,200. If reached, 225 and 300 copies, respectively, will be printed.

The publishing environment in Malta presents challenges for many authors wishing to see their work in print, even more so when it involves a genre-defying novel like L-Istorja ta’ Malta f’ta’ Maria. A crowdfunding approach allows potential readers to contribute to the production of the book and enjoy exclusive rewards when they donate.

Visitors are invited to visit http://www.zaar.com.mt/projects/kt iebmaltamarija/ to make a donation or to access rewards including copies of the book

Dr Christian Colombo