Mgħawġin - Ġurnal Għawdxi - It-Tieni Ħarġa

 

Mgħawġin

Ġurnal Għawdxi - It-Tieni Ħarġa

Edited by Corrine Zahra and Ħaley Xuereb

Mgħawġin, the literary journal for Gozitan writers founded and edited by Corrine Zahra and Ħaley Xuereb, returns for a second issue (and a second year). In its sophomore edition, Mgħawġin continues to explore the intriguing question of what constitutes Gozitan literature.

It would be easy to say that any work written by a Gozitan would fall into this category. However, this invites another query – namely, what does it mean to be Gozitan? Mgħawġin gives a wide definition to the term – the writers featured in this second issue include authors born and living in Gozo; others who, like the editors themselves, have – whether temporarily or permanently – left their island of origin for Malta or more distant shores; alongside two Maltese writers, Leanne Ellul and Claire Medati Stride, who have chosen to make Gozo their home. This makes for a variety of “Gozitan” experiences, some of which are reflected in the writing itself.

In an interesting development, while the first issue featured only prose and poetry, this year’s Mgħawġin also includes three essays of literary criticism. Luke Refalo writes about an underestimated facet of poet Mary Meylak, focussing on her short stories inspired by and set in Gozitan localities, while Ema Vella contributes a piece about leading Gozitan man of letters Ġorġ Pisani. Seasoned author Joseph W. Psaila grapples with the key “question” of what constitutes “Għawdexità” or “Gozitanity”, to use his own neologism, in “An Overview of Literature from Gozo”. According to Psaila:

literature from Gozo is much more male than female, more religious than spiritual, more devotional than confessional, more traditional than modern, and more heroic than erotic. It treats “general” topics as much as it treats “regional” ones and is much more a writers’ than a readers’ affair

Psaila cites several examples to support his observations, and provides some intriguing insights that could well be developed into a much longer literary essay than the brief but compelling overview featured here.

Perhaps a good place to start understanding “Gozitanity” is by reading the literary works included in the journal. Some common elements emerge. Writing as a Gozitan of origin, I find that there is often an inherent contradiction in Gozitans, in that Gozo’s double insularity makes us all “travellers” – either by necessity or vocation – while rooting us to our little island. In this regard, it is not surprising that several of the pieces reflect an element of “nomadism”, whether literal or figurative. Appropriately, this issue opens, even before the index, with a poem by Gozitan-Australian emigrant Joe Axiaq, “Meta Tlaqt”, that reflects precisely this feeling of leaving Gozo with the distant promise of a future return. Claire Medati Stride describes an inverse journey in “Immigranta f’Pajjiżi Stess”.

Travel is also referenced in other works, including “Galway-Għawdex” by Helena Zammit Bouchalova, “The Pilgrimage” by Nicole Micallef and “POV ta’ ġurnata ta’ żagħżugħa Għawdxija ta’ 23 sena”, a short story by an anonymous contributor that reads suspiciously (and engrossingly)  like auto-fiction . Leanne Ellul contributes a typically well-crafted poem describing a drive along the Coast Road. The way in which a mundane experience is described in beautiful language and striking metaphors makes this one of the stand-out pieces in the volume. 

Gozo used to be described as the island where time stood still. But modern life is catching up, threatening traditional ways. Perhaps it is this which inspires writers to embark on journeys into the past, whether in Charles Bezzina’s evocation of church bells (“QANPIENA”) or in the nostalgic reminiscences of childhood in Jennifer Barbara Buhagiar’s “Is-Sibt Filgħodu” and Colombia Cefai’s “Is-Santi taċ-Ċikwejra”. It is also probably what prompts the more churlish tone of the brief prose-poem “L-Invażjoni” by Joseph Mario Grech.

The sense of loss of the past finds its parallel in the loss of loved ones, whether through death or estrangement, as effectively evoked in “Ħolqa” by Yanika Attard and “Bla Tislima” by Francesca Borg.

Somehow, the featured prose and poetry, albeit different in approach, seem linked, whether thematically or stylistically. In this regard, it was refreshing to read two contrasting pieces – Kylie Grech’s quasi-comedic foray into speculative fiction (“The Glass Prison”) and Liam Attard’s “Oracle”, which uses mythical images and high-flown archaic language to represent the disintegrating mind of an old man. The latter is a strange, perhaps rather self-indulgent piece, but it stood out in its admirable attempt to do things differently.

So, what is it that marks Gozitan literature? On this, I guess, the jury is still out, and I hope we will get many more issues of Mgħawġin to keep us on a voyage to find an answer.

launched 31 July, 2026.

Available directly from the editors