Christopher Gruppetta

Young Adult Fiction in Malta ... Do We Dare?

Chris Gruppetta, Merlin Library Ltd, Malta

Young adult fiction in Malta – young adult being understood as contemporary, theme-driven fiction rather than merely age-specific – is an extremely new phenomenon in Malta. Hence the social mores around it are still quite conventional. The case study will work around recent (2006, 2007) young adult publications in the Maltese language that either skirted around difficult themes or used more or less explicit language. Interestingly, reaction to the books was generally positive, indicating a gap in the market. However, there was also a much higher crossover appeal than would normally be the case, possibly indicating that more twenty-somethings and adults were reading them, rather than teenagers. Furthermore, the case study will contrast Malta’s reaction to young adult fiction in the Maltese language with its reaction to YA fiction in the English language. Malta is a bilingual country where English fiction is widely read. There is generally a wider acceptance of a risquee teenage novel in English than there is in Maltese. Why is this? Ideally the case study and ensuing discussion would also focus on the Maltese publisher’s responsibility: does the publisher have a responsibility to publish risquee YA fiction in the face of general conservatism, thus being proactive, or stall until the social acceptance of such texts increases?

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