Tue 19.03.19 19:00 >> 20:30

Vella & Siegloff: Dystopic fiction for a post-Brexit EU

In collaboration with Librebook, the National Book Council is pleased to announce the presence of two prize-winning Maltese authors, Lou Drofenik and Loranne Vella, for a series of readings and discussions on their works, the Maltese literary lan dscape, and more.

“A future with rockets and clouds”.

With Brexit rapidly approaching, two dystopic novels dare to look further into the European future. Loranne Vella will be joined by Roland Siegloff from Germany who will present their recent books, read some extracts from Rokit (in Maltese and English) and Wolke sechs (in German), and discuss their different visions with the public.

Michael Stabenow, Brussels correspondent of the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, will be moderating the debate.

Loranne Vella is a Brussels-based Maltese author and the winner of the 2018 National Book Prize in the category Novels in Maltese and English with her book Rokit (Merlin Publishers, 2018). In 2016 Loranne was awarded the Terramaxka Prize for her translation of Violeta by Abril Calero (‘Vjoletta’, Merlin Publishers, 2015). ‘Rokit’ explores the fragmentation of Europe through the eyes of Petrel as he explores his grandmother’s Maltese roots and discovers a Malta under siege by the effects of global warming.

Wolke sechs (2018) is the third novel of German journalist and writer Roland Siegloff who has also published books on his travels across Europe. In ‘Wolke sechs’, Siegloff tells the story of Adrian, a British lobbyist for the nuclear industry, and his former girlfriend Adriana, an EU official, confronted with a life-threatening situation in a post-Brexit Brussels. The author lives in Brussels and Berlin.

The reading sessions will be led by the authors, making for a pleasantly informal atmosphere. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to talk to the authors, ask questions and have have their books signed.