Letters | Sunday, 11 January 2009

PRINT THIS ARTICLE

Book awards judge replies

In his reaction to an article written by your journalist Karl Schembri about last year’s National Book Award, Mr Sergio Grech (or was it Dr Gorg Mallia?), referred to comments I made about the said Award. While I declare no interest in participating in some petty polemic with the National Book Council, I must make one very short point, since Mr Grech opted to mention me a number of times in his reply.
Mr Grech should express no surprise at my reservations about the present format of the National Book Award, as I had already stated my opinions publicly after the 2007 Book Award. Neither should he wonder why last year I accepted to serve as a judge. He should know, as executive director of the council, that I was approached more than once by a representative of his council who was literally begging me to accept their offer to sit on the adjudication board. Knowing that the Council always faces serious problems in finding enough judges for the ridiculously large number of awards, I accepted to spend my summer holidays reading a sizable pile of books, each from cover to cover, taking down notes and filling forms and, please note, with no remuneration. The Book Council chose to thank me by dismissing my comments as “sweeping statements” and, worse, accusing me of harming the process of some grand overhaul for next year’s Book Award, which Mr Grech has announced without giving any details.
While I find this attitude extremely bothersome, I am hoping that the members of the Council will finally keep their word and start working on what publishers, writers and a couple of journalists have been saying about the National Book Award. This, in my view, is the Council’s true job, rather than accusing journalists of personal vendetta, and writers of harm.

Immanuel Mifsud
H’Attard

Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below.
Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.