Roberta Bajada | I had been harbouring the idea of navigating darker territories for quite a while

Could you tell us about your trajectory as a writer?

I always look back with special fondness on my journey as a writer. I was barely eight when I “wrote” my first adventure on a yellowing copybook; but before all this, were the hours of rigorous reading, and the stories I created as a kid were very much in the mould of the well-loved tales by Trevor Zahra, Charles Casha and Carmel G. Cauchi, to mention but a handful of authors whose books I regularly devoured. With my mind set on publishing, I decided to take the plunge in Form 4, when my first comic strip, Ġuġu, appeared in the local magazine, Sagħtar. I am forever indebted to Victor Fenech, the editor back then, for allowing me this chance to showcase my teenage art and creativity, as well as to my schoolteachers who offered their constant encouragement and support. Comics eventually gave way to short stories which I also illustrated. Amongst my favourites were Ħrejjef minn Tarf il-Bosk. Being a puzzle enthusiast, I also liked to include word games as an accompaniment to this series.

My first novel came much later as tribute to my husband’s late Nannu Ġuż. It grew out of a fifteen-page manuscript to become my first self-illustrated book, followed by a collection of short stories in English, also a publication of Kotba Sagħtar. Both publications were short-listed for the National Book Prize. In 2014, a call for manuscripts as part of a literary contest organised by Merlin Publishers caught my attention. I proposed Arloġġ u Tila as an attempt to blend art with literature, blurring the boundary between fiction and fact. Magic realism remains one of my favourite all-time genres to date and #abbozz gave me the opportunity to experiment with it to my heart’s content.

Termini u Kundizzjonijiet Japplikaw ensued, after winning the Novel for Youths Literary Contest organised by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, and later a sequel to Arloġġ u Tila, entitled Arlekkin Isfar, both published by Merlin. My most recent novel, Shadow Woods, stemmed from a desire to address an older reader to my usual target audience. I had been harbouring the idea of navigating darker territories for quite a while and the idea of building a story around a defunct theme park in the depths of a lush forest in Texas made the perfect starting point for this endeavour.

Shadow Woods is in a very specific genre and milieu. Could you tell us why you’re drawn this particular style of literature, and what you hope readers will get out of it?

The inspiration for Shadow Woods came soon after a videoclip advertising The Efteling popped up on my laptop screen. What struck me the most about this amusement park in the Netherlands were the macabre undertones despite its magical location in an idyllic woodland. At the time I was also enjoying various vlogs about abandoned places, and novels like Stephen King’s 11.22.63 which are a celebration of vintage Americana; all these fragments put together made the perfect collage for a YA novel that would infuse fond childhood memories of lights and carousels with the darker shades of adult corruption looming in the midst. Reading Shadow Woods, I believe, will be a welcome throwback for lovers of the eighties (yes, there is even a cameo by Spielberg’s ET) as well as adult fantasy. Because this genre is often associated with younger audiences, I sincerely hope this novel is another step ahead to proving otherwise.

How did it feel to win the National Book Prize?

Shadow Woods has given so much from the very first day I started discussing it with my publisher, Chris Gruppetta of Merlin Publishers, back in 2018. I remember my ongoing chats with Clare Azzopardi, my editor, and the step-by-step formation of my vision into the final product. I also remember getting goosebumps upon the front cover reveal, not quite believing the insanely-talented Pierre Portelli could capture with such precision the exact atmosphere and vibes I wished to convey.

But there was more; there were the behind-the-scenes episodes involving a real-live encounter with a Zoltar fortune-telling machine tucked away in the London Dungeons during a school trip with my students, a photography spree in the aviation section at the London Science Museum, and an actual visit to The Efteling, the theme park that started it all, which ended up becoming one of my most cherished memories with my family. Then in April 2024, I had my first-ever book launch, beautifully organised by Merlin. Being surrounded by friends and family in a cosy fairy-lit venue as extracts from Shadow Woods were read aloud for the first time was truly special. So, all in all, the journey on its own was already rewarding; winning the National Book Prize was a dream. I am still pinching myself, in fact.

Who are some of your favourite Maltese writers working today?

I sometimes marvel at the ease with which I switch my music playlist from Edvard Grieg to Robin Schultz to AC/DC. The same with film, tv series and everything else, including books. I see myself as a butterfly that flits from author to author depending on what I would be looking for at that point in time, so I am always open to reading different genres and styles and I love learning from these differences- technical and otherwise. Our island may be small in size, but definitely not short on talent and diversity.

What’s next for you?

My intent is to continue exploring the YA genre. My students at school are mostly teenage and it is intriguing to see what books they hold in their hands during breaktime, most of which would be in English. Magic realism is another genre I would love to experiment more with in my writing for adults.

In collaboration with the National Book Council, MaltaToday will be interviewing the winners of the 2025 National Book Prize. More information regarding the awards can be found at ktieb.org.mt/