Mark Camilleri’s New ‘Ġaħan’ Novel Satirises Modern Malta And Even Pokes Fun At Rosianne Cutajar
Maltese author and historian Mark Camilleri is publishing his first novel tomorrow and it’s a satirical take on the current state of Malta featuring a modern version of the classical ‘Ġaħan’ character.
“It’s been a while since Ġaħan ġibed il-bieb and he has changed since then,” the premise of the book – Ġaħan Fl-Aqwa Żmien – reads, a reference to the famous ‘door’ fable.
“Ġaħan is now called Dustin and he works as an IT developer. He is still a fool but has become a bit more intelligent. He cannot attract women, he is always facing problems, he wants to become an artist but is too lazy, and he only cares about eating.”
“He invests money in cryptocurrencies to get rich quickly but loses it all, he buys a penthouse in Fgura but later discovers problems with the building.”
Keen-eyed political observers will be aware that the title references the PL’s victorious slogan at the 2017 election, and this is no coincidence.
Camilleri told Lovin Malta that the ‘Dustin’ character is meant to satirise an average Maltese youth during the so-called post- 2017 ‘best of times’.
“His mother is a Labourite but he doesn’t care about politics himself and is completely apathetic about the state of affairs in Malta, all he cares about is consumption,” Camilleri said.
“It’s meant to reflect the current atmosphere. Not every Labourite is a Ġaħan but if all you care about is consumption, and you don’t notice or care that the country is falling to pieces, then that’s Ġaħaniżmu. People aren’t realising that everything is collapsing but think everything is fine because their fridge is full, at least for now.”
Indeed, Dustin’s large size is meant as a metaphor for consumption culture.
“He is too lazy to fulfil his dream of becoming an artist but he doesn’t care so long as his fridge is full. Meanwhile, he is getting fatter and fatter so the situation is bad for him and bad for the country but he cannot even realise it.”
PL MP Rosianne Cutajar
The book features a number of characters, including one which satirises Camilleri himself and a politician called ‘Polly’ which satirises Rosianne Cutajar, the PL MP who sued Camilleri for libel after he claimed in his last book ‘A Rent Seeker’s Paradise’ that she had a romantic relationship with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech.
“Polly goes out with Dustin and asks him to develop a website for her, but she ends up getting him into trouble,” he said.
It also includes a scene where Labour supporters celebrate the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia at a każin, which Camilleri said was inspired by celebrations he witnessed firsthand at the PL’s headquarters.
At 192-pages long, Camilleri believes Ġaħan Fl-Aqwa Żmien is one of the first satirical books of Maltese fiction since those published by Ġużè Stagno.
“I’ve always written about history before but this is my first novel,” he said. “I could be satirical and entertaining, and I enjoyed writing it… I laughed at points too. I enjoy history but it’s more scientific, I could do what I want here.”
Do you intend to buy Mark Camilleri’s new book?
READ NEXT: Tattoos, Face Masks And Smartwatches Feature In Modern Take On Religious Paintings In Gozitan Church
