Reading China in Malta

Fresh exchange platform

Meeting Chinese Publishers, an event on Nov 6 that brought together Maltese publishers and a Chinese publishing delegation, was a highlight of the center's participation.

In her opening remarks, Yuan commended the Malta Book Festival for creating a dynamic platform for Chinese publishers to meet Maltese counterparts, and explore new avenues for future collaboration.

Zhang Jing, head of the Chinese publishing delegation and a leader at the China Education Publishing & Media Group Ltd, said in her speech that the two countries should first advance the mutual translation and publication of classics to enhance understanding between the peoples.

"We were very happy that this year, a delegation of Chinese publishers came to the festival. We hope that this collaboration brings more Chinese literature to Malta in Maltese, and we also hope that Maltese literature gets exported to China in Chinese," Camilleri said.

"At the National Book Council we will continue to strengthen our Malta Book Fund so that Maltese and Chinese publishers have better access to public funding for works of translation," the executive chairman added.

Another highlight was the launch of Il-Problema tat-Tliet Korpi on Nov 8. This is the Maltese version of the first book of Liu Cixin's sci-fi trilogy, The Three-Body Problem, produced by Faraxa Publishing in Malta.

Translator John A. Bonello spent 10 months completing the first draft and another six months working with the editor to polish it. Bonello appreciated the opportunity to bring this incredible story into his language and looked forward to translating the other two books.

"Literature exchange is a significant channel for promoting China's voice and telling Chinese stories. I believe launching the first installment of The Three-Body Problem in Maltese and translating the other two books will open a new chapter for China-Malta cooperation in literature and translation," Yuan said.