My essentials: Roderick Camilleri’s cultural picks

1. Book

I usually like to read more than one book at a time, making it a bit difficult to pick a specific book over the others. However, a recent text which I recommend reading is David Attenborough’s recent book A Life on Our Planet. It is an eye-opener, bold and highly revealing, disclosing extraordinary autobiographical narrations of a man who explored some of the world’s most amazing places. His personal memoirs also shed light on the drastic decline of the planet’s ecosystem and offer possible ways of how to restore it.

2. TV/FILM

A recent, or maybe, not so recent film which left a deep impression is 12 Years a Slave, a biographical drama film based on a true story of an African-American. It is a powerful and emotional work representing the pain and suffering caused by past slavery. The plot seizes you almost straight away with a visceral vigour of imagery and the fluidity of the storyline. I highly recommend watching.

3. Internet

Well, I think that the most visited sites are the news portals to keep myself updated with current events. Apart from these sites, I don’t think I have a particular site or channel which I visit on a regular basis.

4. Music

I really enjoy progressive rock. One of my favourite bands is surely Dream Theater. Tracks such as A Change of Seasons and Pull me Under are simply incredibly massive and timeless. Besides their great artistic melodic content, I really admire this band for its consistency and productivity. They always aim to push the boundaries and experiment with new musical possibilities.

5. Place

As I mentioned before, I really like travelling and visiting different countries. However, due to Covid, these past two years kept us bound and locked within our safest zones. If I had to refer to one of my local favs, I would say il-Pwales. It is a lovely area in Saint Paul’s Bay, situated nearby to ix-Xagħra tal-Għansar and close to is-Simar on the borders of Xemxija. I really appreciate the pristine habitat of the place, and I usually go for a refreshing stroll.