Looking Back in Anger
The Fiction of Lara Calleja
Lara Calleja won the award for Best Emergent
Writer at the 2020 National Book Prize. Calleja has written two books, which I
recently had the occasion to read in close succession. I must say I enjoyed both and cannot disagree
with the choice.
Calleja burst on the local literary scene in
2016 with Lucy Min?, breaking sales records on book-signing night and
evidently striking a chord with Maltese readers. It is a slim contemporary Bildungsroman,
which leads us, in a diaristic, confessional style, through the formative years
of the novel’s eponymous protagonist. Lucy is forthright and sweary, daring and
rebellious. She can be sure of herself
at times, less confident at others but ultimately harbours no regrets, even when,
with hindsight, her choices turn out to be painful or dubious. In
other words, Lucy is a feminist character which, particularly in the context of
local fiction, is fresh and original, the sort of protagonist we meet in works
of authors such as Clare Azzopardi (who is, perhaps unsurprisingly, cited by
Lara Calleja as an influence). Just
like Lucy, the novel sometimes suffers from some loss of direction, but more
important than the storyline here is the sense that the book is introduces a distinctive
voice in Maltese literature. And
although it is always dangerous to conflate character and author, it is
tempting to read, in Lucy’s wry observations, echoes of the writer’s own thoughts.
This is further confirmed in Kissirtu
Kullimkien (“You’ve Destroyed Everywhere”), Calleja’s second book,
published in 2020. It consists of a
collection of short stories, some of which are linked thematically or through
what appear to be recurring characters (especially in the opening pieces). Environmental concerns lie at the heart of
the collection – hence the title, which refers to rampant development which
threatens to destroy both Malta’s natural habitat and its traditional urban
fabric. But the stories also touch upon
other subjects, particularly relationships – between family members, lovers,
friends. The dialogue feels authentic, contemporary,
and down-to-earth and the writing is engaging, stirring a gamut of emotions.
Indeed, what surprised me about Lara Calleja’s latest book is that besides the
righteous anger there are also plenty of poignant – even tender – moments. For instance, I was struck by one of the pieces,
featuring two friends who break into a large, abandoned house to spend the
night in its rambling gardens. Its message is an earnest one – the need to
protect Malta’s heritage – but as important for the story is the colloquial banter
between two young women, which sounds as if we are eavesdropping on a real conversation.
And the image of night enveloping the
old building has a magical, lyrical, undeniably romantic (and Romantic) tinge to it. Clearly Lara Calleja has several tricks up her
sleeve, and I look forward to discovering what she will come up with next.
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