A collection of poetry by Maltese author Leanne Ellul has been translated into Italian and is now available across the peninsula.
Originally published by Merlin Publishers, Ellul’s L-Inventarju tal-Kamra l-Kaħla features around 85 poems that explore themes of love, loss and the sea. These have been translated into Italian by Virginia Monteforte, with editing by Valerio Cruciani.
Titled Stanza Azzurra in Italian, the collection was published by Capire Edizioni, under the curation of Renzo Casadei and Davide Rondoni.
An inventory of emotions and colours
Ellul’s writing is known for its experimental nature, while also bringing intimacy and vulnerability to the forefront.
The book takes the form of an inventory, listing not only objects but also emotions, colours and even prepositions that might be found in this symbolic blue room.
Poems from Stanza Azzurra have already gained recognition in Italy. In 2021, a selection from the collection reached the semifinals of the Premio Internazionale Rainer Maria Rilke, and in 2023, another selection was named runner-up for the same prize.
Beyond Italian, poems from the original Maltese collection have been translated – and some also published – in English, Arabic and Greek.
Ellul said that she believes every translation, whether to or from a language, allows that language to grow in new directions.
She emphasised that while book sales are not the measure of success, even the smallest contribution plays a role in shaping and expanding the Maltese literary landscape abroad.
‘An intriguing challenge’
This is not the first time Monteforte, who is also a writer and anthropologist, has translated Ellul’s work.
She had translated Noé u l-Iskojjatlu bla Kwiet, originally written in Maltese by Ellul and Stephanie Bugeja and published by Merlin Publishers, with the support of the National Book Council. Noè e lo scoiattolo giocherellone was published by Verbavolant Edizioni in 2022.
Monteforte said: “I loved the way Leanne plays with words and contexts since I translated Noé u l-Iskojjatlu bla Kwiet; how she manages to combine different worlds and images with what Calvino would have called a ‘thoughtful lightness’. Her poems were an intriguing, a labyrinth of multiple impressions, feelings and sensations in the space of a room which often becomes a deep blue sea.”
Stanza Azzurra was supported by the National Book Council’s Book Fund, which plays a crucial role in promoting Maltese literary works beyond local shores.
The book is available for purchase online and in well-known bookstores across Italy.
