Valletta - On Friday, November 6th at 6:30 PM, the hall of the Italian Cultural Institute in Valletta, located in St George’s Square, will host the "Ponti di Cultura nel Mediterraneo" (Cultural Bridges in the Mediterranean) gala. This initiative, launched by independent Sicilian publisher Bonfirraro Editore in 2025, aims to build a stable cultural bridge between Italy and Malta.
The evening marks the conclusion of the 2025–2026 season with the presentation of Exit Queen – Scacco alla Regina by Marco Ubezio and Francesco Spartà, honors the young participants of the Italiano Vivo – Malta initiative, and officially launches the new 2026–2027 edition with Sia scritta la tua volontà by Karl Schembri.
Born from a simple vision, the project seeks to reinforce ties between the two nations through literature, viewing it as a vehicle for dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation among peoples. Ponti di Cultura nel Mediterraneo operates year-round, linking institutions, publishers, authors, universities, schools, and cultural associations across both shores to foster editorial exchanges, collaborative projects, and lasting partnerships.
This builds on a long-standing relationship: Bonfirraro Editore, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, has maintained a dedicated stand at the Malta Book Festival for over fifteen years and has published Italian translations of prominent Maltese authors such as Frans Sammut, Francis Ebejer, Immanuel Mifsud, and Aleks Farrugia.
The concluding season centered on two books: Aleks Farrugia’s La colpa del camerata and the aforementioned work by Ubezio and Spartà. True to tradition, the featured Maltese book for the upcoming season makes its world premiere within the framework of the project: this year’s selection is Sia scritta la tua volontà by Karl Schembri (the Italian edition of Eħlisna mid-Deni, published by Merlin Publishers in 2025), which won Malta's 2026 National Book Prize in the novel category, translated from Maltese by Adrian Stivala.
The evening will also celebrate the young participants of Italiano Vivo – Malta, a new program that brought the Italian language into Maltese secondary schools, universities, and the local Italian expat community this year. Centered around the theme "A Courageous Move," students submitted entries entirely in Italian ahead of the October 20 deadline.