National Book Prize and Terramaxka Prize shortlist announced

The National Book Council has announced the shortlist for the 2021 National Book Prize and Terramaxka Prize.

An independent adjudication board selected the National Book Prize and Terramaxka Prize shortlist, serving as a guide to standout books published in Malta during the previous year.

The 2021 shortlist includes 62 titles and 46 books across seven National Book Prize categories, and 16 books for children and adolescents have been shortlisted for the Terramaxka Prize.

As of this year’s edition, the translation category has been broadened to include works of non-fiction, poetry and drama in Maltese translation, and works of fiction, while the poetry category is once again considering poetry collections written in either Maltese or English.

The National Book Prize recognises literature and research works in several categories, including novels, literary non-fiction, translations and poetry, and short story collections.

This year’s short story collection presents a particularly noteworthy set of titles by well-established authors such as Trevor Żahra and Joe Friggieri, alongside collections by Rita Saliba, Joe Camilleri and European Prize for Literature 2021 winner Lara Calleja.

The categories for General Research and Biographical and Historiographic Research also feature the greatest number of shortlisted works with a list of accomplished titles covering a wide range of Melitensia subjects and beyond.

No works have been shortlisted in the Original Works for Adolescents aged 13-16 within the Terramaxka Prize. The categories for Books translated into Maltese ages 13-15 and Drama received no submissions.

All shortlisted books can be found in bookstores, publishers’ online shops and will be available at the upcoming 2021 Malta Book Festival from 3 to 7 November to be held at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre, Ta’ Qali.

The adjudication board will be selecting the winners in each category of the National Book Prize and the Terramaxka Prize for children’s literature ahead of the Terramaxka Prize winner’s announcement on 2 November during the official opening of the 2021 Malta Book Festival.

The winners of the 2021 National Book Prize will be announced at an awards ceremony later in December.