My essentials: | Alfred Buttigieg’s cultural picks

1. Book

I’m a huge fan of short fiction because you can read a tale in one sitting. Succinctness is sorely lacking in several other genres. I return often to Guy de Maupassant, still in awe at his economy and his pessimism. Recently, I read Madeline Miller’s Circe, a reimagining of The Odyssey’s reviled witch, who narrates her own transgressive and poignant story. I love crime mysteries, especially Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Right now, I’m enjoying P.G. Wodehouse’s hilarious Jeeves stories.

2. Film

I recently watched The Father, about an elderly man slipping into dementia and starring Anthony Hopkins. The film’s structure and perspective place viewers inside the protagonist’s short-circuiting mind, forcing them to experience his crumbling reality. The last scene is a masterpiece. He breaks down because, as he puts it, ‘I feel as if I’m losing all my leaves’, then the camera pans out to the view outside where the trees’ thick foliage rustles in the wind. Utterly superb.

3. Internet/TV

I play Scrabble Go on my phone. I have only four opponents who I know for sure are not a computer. I’m also a news junkie and catch up with the news every hour. I don’t watch TV except on rare occasions, like the UEFA Football Championship or the Olympics. But I watch YouTube a great deal for its documentaries on foreign places, history, and music.

4. Music

I’m stuck on the late ‘60s/early ‘70s rock music, an era which I strongly believe produced the best music, ranging from Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd. I have also brought myself to appreciate some 60s music which in my teen years I considered passé, such as The Beatles. At present my favourite album is An American Prayer by Jim Morrison and The Doors. I consider it poetic and a summation of the singer’s entire life and philosophy.

5. Place

I don’t travel much because I’m petrified of flying. So, I’m more than happy watching YouTube documentaries on different destinations. Locally, I used to love Valletta during COVID, when you’d sit on a bench in front of St John’s, and soak in the stillness. Now we’ve turned our capital into a cacophonous hell. I love the tranquillity of Mdina at night when the tourists are gone, and you can hear your footfalls echoing down the narrow streets.

This article is supported by Arts Council Malta.