Nhar it-Tlieta 5 ta’ Novembru 2019, fis-6.00 pm, fil-Librerija tal-Fakultà tal-Arti fl-Università ta’ Malta, tal-Qroqq, Il-bijologu Stephan D. Mifsud, awtur ta’ The Maltese Bestiary, se jagħmel taħdita bil-Malti dwar il-mostri tal-folklor Malti. Din se tkun attività oħra mis-sensiela fuq It-Tradizzjoni Orali, proġett tad-Dipartiment tal-Malti fl-Università ta’ Malta li issa daħal fir-raba’ sena tiegħu u qed isir bil-Fondi tar-Riċerka tal-Università ta’ Malta u bl-appoġġ tal-Klabb Kotba Maltin.

Fost il-karattri, il-ħlejjaq u l-flora straordinarja fit-tradizzjoni orali Maltija, dawk li joħolqu l-iktar interess huma dawk li jbeżżgħu: il-mostri. Din it-taħdita se tħares lejn dawn il-ħlejjaq li jeżistu, jew li kienu jgħixu, fil-fantasija tal-poplu Malti, kemm jekk oriġinaw min-natura, u kemm jekk nibtu f’moħħ il-Maltin jew il-barranin.

Fit-taħdita l-kelliem se jistaqsi jekk nistgħux nikklassifikaw dawn il-mostri fi gruppi, bħalma nagħmlu fil-bijoloġija. It-taħdita se tħares ukoll lejn kif fil-passat il-ġens Malti ddeskriva dawn il-mostri b’mod viżiv fil-bestjarji, fl-arkitettura u fil-pittura.

Stephan D. Mifsud hu l-awtur tal-ktieb The Maltese Bestiary ippubblikat minn Merlin Publishers fl-2014 u rebbieħ tal-Premju Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb għall-aħjar disinn. Stephan Mifsud huwa bijologu, b’interess kbir fil-pjanti strambi u fl-annimali estinti, u fil-mostri u fil-kreaturi li joħorġu minn moħħ il-bniedem u li nsibu fil-leġġendi u fil-fantasija.

 

Public Talk in Maltese on Fearful Maltese Beasts

On Tuesday 5 November 2019, at 6.00 pm in the Library of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Malta in Tal-Qroqq, biologist Stephan D. Mifsud, author of The Maltese Bestiary, will give a public talk in Maltese on the beasts that appear in Maltese folklore. This event is part of this year’s series of talks hosted by the Department of Maltese at the University for its project on Oral Traditions. This project is supported by the Research Fund of the University and Klabb Kotba Maltin.

Although there were various wonderful entities and fantastic creatures that populated traditional folklore and local superstition, it is still the fearful beasts that capture the imagination of Maltese audiences. In this presentation, Stephan D. Mifsud will dissect the terrible monsters that haunted the Maltese mind, whether they originated from nature, from local culture or from other nations.

The talk will focus on the various ways, biological or otherwise, in which we can classify these monsters. The speaker will also discuss the ways in which these fearful beasts were described in oral traditions and in visual representations.

Stephan Mifsud is the author of The Maltese Bestiary, an illustrated guide to the mythical flora and fauna of the Maltese islands published by Merlin Publishers in 2014 and winner of the National Book Prize for Best Book Design. He is a biologist by profession with an abnormal interest in bizarre plants and extinct animals, and an unnatural fascination with the monsters and creatures that spew from the human mind in myth and fantasy. Unfortunately diving, painting, gardening, researching and video gaming leave too little time for his other passion: writing.