Mikhail Basmadjian reads from Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) by Immanuel Mifsud.

Actor Mikhail Basmadjian reads from the first chapter of Immanuel Mifsud’s moving autobiographical book Fl-isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2010).

Mifsud, the youngest son born to a soldier in the British army revisits his father’s diary, aged 19, written in 1939. Prompted by the death of his father and the birth of his son, Mifsud weaves a subversive narrative concerning family relationships, grief and masculinity.

About the author

Immanuel Mifsud is a prolific poet and novelist. He is the recipient of a number of awards for his numerous novels, and short-story and poetry collections: the Malta National Book Prize for prose (2002, 2015), the Malta National Prize for poetry (2014, 2016), and the European Union Prize for Literature (2011). His latest latest short story collection, L-Aqwa Żmien (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2019), has been described as a "brutal set of timely, topical and searingly painful explorations of the ones our society has left behind”.

About the reader

Mikhail Basmadjian is an actor and graphic designer. He’s also a diver and a lover of cats.

If you liked Fl-Isem tal-Missier (u tal-Iben) check out the following by Immanuel Mifsud:

Novels

Jutta Heim (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2014)

Fid-Dlam tal-Lejl Ħarisna (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2016)

Short-Stories

L-Istejjer Strambi ta’ Sara Sue Sammut (Minima Publishers, 2002)

Kimika (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2005)

Stejjer li ma kellhomx jinkitbu (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2008)

L-Aqwa Żmien (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2019)

Poetry

Il-Ktieb tar-Riħ u l-Fjuri (Self-published, 2001)

Penelope Tistenna (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2013)

Ħuta (Klabb Kotba Maltin, 2016)

Click here to find out more about Immanuel Mifsud’s books.

This episode is sponsored by the National Book Council.